It’s the latest thing sending Twitter into a tailspin – clearly there, the controversial issues are at an ebb right now – the big news is that iPhones are now to be made in India. There is likely to be a 'Made in India' tag on the next iPhone. Here is all that you wanted to know about the Made in India iPhone:
The Karnataka IT minister confirmed that Apple Inc would set up a manufacturing facility in the state and that operations would start in the next three to four months.
India is the world's fastest growing smartphone market so it makes sense to cater to this market. Setting up a manufacturing facility here would also help lower manufacturing costs for the electronics giant. This has always been the policy of the phone manufacturer who manufactures components in China right now.
One of the things that concerns Indians, of course, is whether iPhones will now be available in India at the same prices as they are available abroad. We don't know the answer to that yet.
On his visit to India last year, the CEO of Apple met Prime Minster Narendra Modi. When the PM spoke about the Digital India initiative, Cook spoke about his desire to set up manufacturing and expand retail in India.
Turns out Apple has some demands – the company is asking for a waiver of the 30% domestic sourcing rule. These demands also include exemption from customs duty that would otherwise be payable on the import of components and equipment. Experts feel that these demands may not be met by Indian authorities and that they should not be.
It is thought that making iPhones here in India is beneficial for Apple to expand their consumer base and cut costs and beneficial for India because this will boost the domestic component ecosystem. Win-win would you say?
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