At the end of last year, reports revealed that Apple has serious plans to begin manufacturing iPhones in India. However, the company was being held back due to its aversion to the government's meddling with the design of its products.
It seems that the challenges blocking the way of iPhone production in India have now been cleared up, as Apple is set to begin manufacturing iPhones in the country within two months.
Apple iPhone Production In India Starting Soon
According to a Bloomberg report, Apple will start the assembly of iPhones in India by the end of April. The company has assigned Taiwan-based Wistron Corp. for the assembly of the devices, with the factory to be located in the technology capital of Bangalore in the region of Karnataka.
The information was revealed by IT minister Priyank Kharge, who executives of Apple met with last month to finalize the timeline on when iPhone production can start.
Earlier, there were reports of the Karnataka only welcoming a proposal by Apple to start manufacturing iPhones in the state. However, there was said to be no deal or agreement yet between Apple and the government for the launch of iPhone production. A source did say that if Apple would start the assembly of iPhones in Karnataka, it would be in a facility being set up by Wistron on the outskirts of Bangalore, which is information that turned out to be true.
With Apple starting iPhone manufacturing in India by April, previous reports on such a timeline have been confirmed. It has been claimed that Apple will manufacture the next iPhone in India, and with import and excise duties to be eliminated, it is possible that the price of the device will go down.
A report from last week stated that Apple had a constructive meeting with the Indian government on the discussion of the plan to open an iPhone production facility in the country. Apple had a list of demands, though, including custom duties waivers and extensive tax breaks.
The Significance Of iPhone Manufacturing In India
The production of iPhones in the country reveals that Apple has a renewed focus on India, which has claimed the title as the fastest-growing market for smartphones in the world.
According to Kharge, the iPhones that will be made in Bangalore will target the domestic market, boosting the supply and presence of Apple's devices in the country. Kharge added that the government will help Apple if it will look to form partnerships with other contract manufacturers in Bangalore in addition to Wistron.
Apple shipped 2.5 million iPhones into India last year, which is the record for the company in terms of sales and revenues. Despite this, Apple just barely made the top 10 list of smartphone manufacturers in the country and is now looking to have a deeper grasp of the market, as growth in other locations such as China have slowed down.
Apple only held less than 2 percent of the shipments of smartphones in India, which is a figure that the company is looking to boost, especially given the estimate that 750 million smartphones will be sold a year in India by 2020.
