New Apple Stores planned for India, iPhone 16 production begins: report
The iPhone 16 series was launched in September this year. It includes the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. It was recently reported that the company would be manufacturing the iPhone 16 Pro variants in India, but a new report now suggests that all four iPhone 16 models will be manufactured in the country. According to the report, the Cupertino-based tech giant is also planning to open more stores in India. Notably, Apple opened its first two stores in India in April 2023, in Mumbai and Delhi.
New Apple Stores in India
Apple plans to open four new stores in India, an American newspaper said report by MoneyControl. This could include a second store in Mumbai and new Apple Stores in Bengaluru, Pune and the Delhi-NCR region. Apple’s Senior Vice President of Retail, Deirdre O’Brien, reportedly told the publication that the company is looking forward to expanding its retail operations in India.
The report suggests that the retail expansion plan will be led by the success of the existing stores in Mumbai and Delhi. According to analysts quoted in the report, the two stores contributed to more than a fifth of the company’s sales in the country.
iPhone 16 production in India
The aforementioned report also notes that production of the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max has begun in India. These locally manufactured phones will soon be available for sale in the country and for export.
Furthermore, the report states that the entire iPhone 16 series will also be manufactured in India. It claims that Foxconn is responsible for producing the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus and Pro Max variants, while Pegatron is responsible for making the iPhone 16, 16 Plus and iPhone 16 Pro. Meanwhile, Tata Electronics has reportedly been tasked with manufacturing the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus phones.
Apple currently makes iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus and iPhone 13 handsets in India. According to the Economic Research 2023-2024$14 billion (about Rs. 1,400 crore) worth of iPhone, or 14 percent of global iPhone production, was assembled in India.
The government is also reportedly encouraging Apple to manufacture all its products in the country and respective states. It is expected that this will increase employment locally. The technology giant is particularly working to diversify its manufacturing activities from China.
