Apple Has Reportedly Exported India-Made iPhones To European Market

Apple has reportedly exported India-made iPhones to some European markets.

According to The Economic Times, three sources that have insight into Apple’s plans have confirmed this piece of information, which will be a massive uplift to the Make in India plan of the Indian government.

The report revealed that the Indian arm of Wistron Corp, one of the iPhone maker's contract manufacturers, has been assembling iPhones since 2016. Recently, the company has been the first maker to export Apple’s devices from the Bengaluru-based facility to overseas countries.

Neither Wistron nor Apple has officially confirmed this news, but there is one thing we can be sure of, the Bengaluru arm of Wistron is manufacturing iPhone 6s and iPhone 7.

There have been reports saying that Foxconn, another contract manufacturer of Apple, might begin making iPhone X in Tamil Nadu soon.

As per a report from Nikkei Asian Review, the US-China trade war had resulted in large brands like Apple considering moving their production out of China.

Many industry watchers claim that to Apple, India was more a production hub than a critical market for its products. It is believed that the company is planning to manufacture its higher-end models in the country too. The initial monthly capacity might be 250,000 devices, with up to 80% of them for export.

Accelerating production in India may help the iPhone maker to avoid hefty import tax, thus decreasing its device’s price in the country. The amount saved could be invested in the retail chain.

This move could also help Apple meet the local-sourcing requirements to open its first store in India.