14 DAY TRIAL // Apple is ready to expand its manufacturing operations in India with the addition of new models, according to a new report.
Right now, Apple only makes the iPhone SE and iPhone 6s in the country, and the manufacturing process is handled by Wistron.
However, it looks like the Cupertino-based tech giant wants to also produce a series of newer models in India, including not only the iPhone 7, but also new-generation models like the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max.
This time, however, the manufacturing of these models will be Foxconn’s responsibility, as per Bloomberg. The initial production run test would kick off sometime in the next few weeks, while the manufacturing should then be accelerated by the end of the year if everything goes according to the plan.
Plan B
But while Apple is betting so big on its Indian manufacturing power, it doesn’t mean the company is building all these models specifically for the local market.
In fact, Apple’s sales in India have so far been modest, to say the least. In 2018, Apple accounted for only 1.7 million out of the total of 140 million smartphones sold in India, while in the first two months of this year, the company shipped only 150,000 devices in the country. A 50 percent drop is also expected in March, according to the cited source.
So what Apple might be aiming for is creating a second production hub in addition to the one in China. The plan is as simple as it could be: given the growing tension between the United States and China, using India for the manufacturing of iPhones could help Apple avoid the trade war.
Apple hasn’t yet released any official statement on its expanded production in India, but expect further details to leak out as the pilot production phase reaches the final stage.