Latest model to be at the Sriperumbudur plant of Foxconn
Apple has reportedly begun manufacturing the latest iPhone 13 in India which is a move that boosts the presence of one of the biggest tech companies in India as well as a step towards the government's Make in India initiative.
Foxconn's plant in Sriperumbudur near Chennai will be producing the iPhone 13 units, an Economic Times report said. With the latest announcement, Apple now manufactures all its latest iPhone models in India only.
However, if you are anticipating a drop in prices, Apple may not do that yet.
"We are excited to begin making iPhone 13... Right here in India for our local customers," an Apple India spokesperson was quoted as saying by Economic Times.
Apple's manufacturing partners in India, Foxconn and Wistron, are already manufacturing older iPhone models, but the iPhone 13 will first go into production at Foxconn's facility.
Apple's third partner, Pegatron, the report said, is also expected to begin production this month but it could take up the manufacturing of the iPhone 12 first. Apple now manufactures iPhone 13, iPhone 12, and iPhone 11 locally, but these are just the vanilla models. None of the Pro models is manufactured in India as of now.
The decision to produce iPhone 13 locally comes around six to seven months after Apple launched it back in September 2021.
This is a significant reduction in the timeframe that Apple earlier used to set for the production of iPhones in India. For instance, the production of the iPhone 12 in India began around eight months after the launch.
Regardless, Apple now launches its latest flagship iPhone models in India at the same time as its prime markets such as the US and Canada.
With local manufacturing of new iPhone models, Apple is planning to increase the volume and, at the same time, rely less on imported units that attract hefty taxes from the government. Not that Apple sells locally manufactured iPhones at lower prices, but the availability has improved over the past years.
The sales of iPhones spike around festivals when third-party shopping websites put up various offers and deals to lure customers and with local production, Apple has managed to maintain a fast supply.
Last year, Apple emerged as one of the fastest-growing smartphone brands in India as iPhone shipments grew by a record 108 per cent with 5 million units, contributing a roughly 4 per cent market share.
Experts believe that with iPhone 13 production and iPhone 12 production at Pegatron, Apple is expected to surpass its existing record of iPhone sales in India.
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