Apple to begin building iPhones in India by end of April

Apple to begin building iPhones in India by end of April

PanARMENIAN.Net - Apple Inc. will begin assembling iPhones in India by the end of April, a regional minister says, heightening its focus on the world’s fastest-growing major smartphone market as growth slows elsewhere, Bloomberg reports.

The U.S. company has tapped Taiwan’s Wistron Corp. to put together its phones in the tech capital of Bangalore in Karnataka, said Priyank Kharge, the state’s information technology minister. Apple executives met with him in January and confirmed the timeline, he said in an interview.

The start of iPhone assembly in India comes after months of speculation on Apple’s plan for the market, which is led by rival Samsung Electronics Co, Bloomberg says. It signals a renewed focus on the country, where it just scrapes into the top 10, as growth begins to slow in China and other more mature markets. The Cupertino, California-based company is said to have put forward a long list of demands in negotiations with India’s federal government, including a 15-year tax holiday to import components and equipment.

“Apple’s iPhones will be made in Bangalore and all devices will be targeted at the domestic market,” said Kharge, adding that the state will help Apple if it decides to turn to other contract manufacturers in the region. “We did not discuss any other incentives,” he said.

Apple didn’t respond to an e-mailed request for comment.

Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook said on an earnings call this week that India is “the place to be.” He visited the country for the first time last May as he sought government approval for Apple to open its own stores -- a step the company deems critical to growing the iPhone user base across the country. Over the long run however, Apple needs to meet requirements that single-brand retailers source 30 percent of components from within India. Manufacturing locally will help with that.

 Top stories
Yerevan will host the 2024 edition of the World Congress On Information Technology (WCIT).
Rustam Badasyan said due to the lack of such regulation, the state budget is deprived of VAT revenues.
Krisp’s smart noise suppression tech silences ambient sounds and isolates your voice for calls.
Gurgen Khachatryan claimed that the "illegalities have been taking place in 2020."
Partner news
---