02 January,2017 08:16 AM IST | | mid-day online correspondent
Apple could very soon start manufacturing iPhones in India, one of the world’s fastest growing smartphone markets
Apple could very soon start manufacturing iPhones in India, one of the world's fastest growing smartphone markets. In December 2016, Apple announced its plans to manufacture iPhones in Bengaluru in association with Wistron. The smartphone giant is now expecting to start production of iPhones from April 2017.
Reports published in The Business Standard stated that Foxconn, the biggest contract manufacturer for Apple is also in the queue to set up a manufacturing unit in India. Sources have revealed that Foxconn is planning to set up smartphone assembly lines in multiple Indian cities. It also has plans to set up a second iPhone facility in Gurgaon. Announcement about the same is expected to be made at the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2017 on January 10 at Gandhinagar, Gujarat. Apple announced that it will open up an exclusive store under its brand name in Hyderabad for its mapping unit.
A report in Economic Times stated that Apple has requested for concessions like relaxation in labelling rules and tax incentives. The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) has forwarded the same to Department of Revenue and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
Government sources revealed that it might agree to some of the demands made by Apple for setting up a manufacturing unit in India. The government has also imposed a condition, which stated that Apple needs to promise a huge investment for manufacturing iPhones in India and at the same time commit generating lakhs of jobs.
