Apple has “sought incentives” to set up a manufacturing facility in India, according to a new report.
Apple reportedly made its case to the country’s Department of Revenue and Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeITY).
“The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) will [next] write to both the departments regarding this communication for their views,” an official with knowledge of the matter said, according to the Economic Times.
Apple could potentially broker a favorable deal based on India’s Modified Special Incentive Package Scheme, which is designed to boost the company’s tech manufacturing industry by offering subsidies.
[contextly_auto_sidebar]
However, while this is one more piece of evidence that Apple is keen to invest in India (it has already explored the possibility of opening official Apple stores in the country, and is investing in local R&D centers), don’t expect anything to happen overnight.
There has long been talk about Apple manufacturer Foxconn shifting iPhone production to India, since this would allow it to get around the problem of accelerating wage inflation in China, where the majority of iPhones are made at the moment.
But as can be seen by the protracted process of getting Apple retail stores approved to open in India, this can be an incredibly drawn-out undertaking — even when the goals of Indian officials and Apple/Foxconn appear to be aligned.
Local handset manufacturers are not exactly the biggest fans of Apple. They have some sway at a legislative level, so expect to hear plenty more about this story before anything is 100 percent confirmed.
