Apple apparently has started to assemble its latest iPhone 11 here in India. According to the report, the California-based company will gradually increase its production at its Foxconn plant in Chennai. The units assembled at the Chennai factory would not only cater to the Indian market but also would probably supply other markets as well. There has also been news that Apple is planning to assemble its iPhone SE2020 at its Wistron plant in Bengaluru.
Union Minister Piyush Goyal was elated, and in a tweet expressed his opinion that this move will boost the ‘Make in India’ initiative.
Amidst all the buzz it created, it should be mentioned that Apple already manufactures the iPhone 6s, iPhone 7, and iPhone XR in India.
Earlier this year, Apple’s CEO Tim Cook said,
I think India is a very important market in the long-term. It’s a challenging market in the short-term. But we’re learning a lot. We have started manufacturing there which is very important to be able to serve the market in a reasonable way. And we’re growing that capability there.
India is not the only country that Apple has thought about expanding its factories too. Cook had mentioned that the company is also considering Vietnam as one of its top manufacturing hubs. However, this move may have been motivated by the GoI’s ease on some rules for its Production Linked Incentive scheme.
Apparently, the Indian government officials are also in talks with Pegatron, one of Apple’s top manufacturing partners, to move some of its manufacturing hubs to India.
If the upcoming iPhone 11 is assembled in India, it would bring the prices down, and it will also come to the rescue for the company itself when it comes to the import duty on smartphones. However, it is not sure yet by exactly what margin the prices would dip down.
