Apple’s Pro iPhones will now also be ‘Made In India’

Apple in India makes the news again today on reports the September 10 iPhone introduction will also see more iPhones than ever ship in boxes marked ‘Made In India’.

Will your iPhone be Made In India?

Other than the (slightly sketchy) social media rumor concerning the announcement date, the big news here is that Apple will commence manufacturing of Pro models of the iPhone 16 in India this year.

That’s the first time the company’s manufacturing partners have been able to achieve this and marks a significant point in the evolution of the Apple supply chain in the nation. Citing sources, one financial news site claims Foxconn will assemble these devices, and that these will be shipped into Europe and the US, presumably with a ‘Made In India’ label somewhere to be seen.

In previous episodes of the Apple builds a new supply chain story we’ve learned that as many as 14% of all iPhones sold globally were made in India last year.

We’ve also learned that of all the tech firms attracted by India’s PLI scheme to build a bigger tech industry Apple’s supply chain seems to be the high achiever.

Speed and scale is immense

The speed at which the supply chain is setting up shop is quite remarkable. iPhone production in India has doubled across the last 12 months and is expected to reach 20% of all iPhones before the end of the year.

The scale of what’s taking place is also remarkable. Between them, we know that Foxconn, Pegatron, Tata Group, and others in the fast-growing India-based Apple supply chain now employ tens of thousands of workers. Foxconn leads in production, accounting for c.70% of iPhones made. Tata makes around 27% and Pegatron the rest. This is causing the creation of huge dormitory cities near these new iPhone factories. These are similar in scope to the iPhone production centers already in place across China, where around 50,000 workers were recently hired for iPhone manufacture.

Apple’s India market also grows

Apple is also growing in India. It achieved 38% growth there in the last year and is pursuing double-digit growth in iPhone adoption in India. Apple also employs in the region of 150,000 people across its manufacturing partners. An estimated million developers there work in its iOS ecosystem, reports have claimed.

Apple has become India’s fastest-growing manufacturer in 50-years. In just three years the value of Apple’s manufacturing base in India has crossed $20 billion.

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