Indian government officials confirm Apple will begin to manufacture select iPhone models in the country within a few months
Speaking out on Thursday, Indian government officials confirmed that Apple will begin manufacturing select iPhone models within their new Bangalore production facility over the next few months. It’s been said that Apple’s manufacturing efforts in India will be targeted towards the iPhone 6, iPhone 6s and iPhone SE over the next four-to-six weeks however, a precise date hasn’t been given.
Manufacturing partner Wistron Corp will be responsible for all Indian iPhone production to start off with however Apple’s other key production partners such as Foxconn and Pegatron are also looking to expand their manufacturing presence in India.
By giving Wistron the responsibility of producing iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s models at its plant in Bangalore it appears Apple is using this as a test run to see how the facility performs ahead of potentially using it to assemble other Apple devices in the future. Back in February The Apple Post reported that Foxconn has reconfirmed their intentions to open production facilities in India, with officials telling ministers from the state of Maharashtra that they will invest $5 billion in opening new facilities within the country.
Currently, India has a lot of growth opportunity for Apple. – With it’s rise in the middle class and ever growing population, this market could potentially be a goldmine for Apple. – Apple, alongside other retailers, must source 30% of its components locally, though Bloomberg claim the country is relaxing those rules so technology companies can operate stores for three years before meeting that requirement.