Apple may not have received the tax concessions it was hoping for in India, but that’s not slowing down plans to begin manufacturing iPhones in the country.
According to a new report, Apple is set to start making iPhones in India within the next two months, and potentially as soon as 4 weeks’ time.
The manufacturer that will be responsible for the initial manufacturing work is Wistron Corp, which will supposedly begin building iPhone 6 and 6s models at its plant in Bengaluru.
Given that the iPhone 6 and 6s are no longer the present model for Apple, starting out producing them is a good way of testing manufacturing without risking the main in-demand products should something go awry. Interestingly, today’s report differs from previous ones, which suggested that Wistron would start out producing the iPhone SE.
Earlier this year it was reported that Wistron had applied for fast-tracked approval to expand its factory in Bengaluru in order to build products for Apple. Other Apple manufacturers Foxconn and Pegatron are also looking to expand their manufacturing presence in India.
Concessions or no concessions?
This week it was reported that Apple’s hit a roadblock in securing the concessions it hoped for in India. In particular, India’s Department of Revenue rejected Apple’s request for 15 years’ worth of tax concessions to set up manufacturing facilities.
While it’s likely to be disappointing news for Apple, manufacturing in India is still a great way of gaining a foothold in a massive market with an insatiable growing demand for smartphones.
Right now, India is projected to sell around 750 million smartphones by the end of the decade, although Apple holds just 2 percent of the overall smartphone market in the country.
Source: WSJ
Luke Dormehl is a U.K.-based journalist and author, with a background working in documentary film for Channel 4 and the BBC. He is the author of The Apple Revolution and The Formula: How Algorithms Solve All Our Problems … and Create More, both published by Penguin/Random House. His tech writing has also appeared in Wired, Fast Company, Techmeme and other publications.
2 responses to “Apple will start producing iPhones in India in 4 to 6 weeks”
I was paid 104000 dollars previous 12 month period by doing an internet based work and consequently I was able to do it by working in my own time for several hours on a regular basis. I tried work opportunity I found on the net and I am excited that I was capable to earn such good money. It is undoubtedly newbie-friendly and I am so grateful that I found out about it. Have a look at what I do… http://time73.weebly.com
I was without work for 6 months when my former Fellow worker lastly strongly suggested me to begin with freelancing online… That was just after I gained $5000 in my very first thirty days when I actually believed I really could do this for a living! Nowadays I am joyful than ever… I work from home and I am my own boss now like I always wanted… I see several unhappy people around me, working the same old boring job that is sucking the daily life from them day-after-day… Whenever I see any person similar to that I say START FREELANCING MAN! This is how I started >>>> http://rasp.is/KuPqXi