Currently, the production hub for Apple is China with manufacturers such as Foxconn and Wistron. Both these manufacturers produce various Apple products for worldwide shipment. However, according to a new report by The Indian Economic Times, Apple has a plan to move a fifth of its production capacity from China to India.
The report says that Apple wants to benefit from the Indian Government’s PLIs (Production-linked Incentives). It is the scheme that will encourage the local production of smartphones in the country. According to the report, Apple looks forward to producing smartphones in India worth $40 billion.
Currently, Apple has a small share in the Indian smartphone market. Moving the production in India could mean Apple is trying to export from India rather than China. Apple has not yet confirmed it. However, Apple has seen some success in the Indian market. According to the IDC, the International Data Corporation, Apple took a total 62.7% share of the premium smartphone segment market in India.
There are also rumors that Apple is trying to ramp up its retail efforts in India. Currently, Apple does not have any retail stores in India and sells through third-party resellers. According to Apple CEO, Tim Cook, Apple has plans to open retail stores in India in 2021. The recently announced Apple iPhone SE will also sell in India.