Apple To Manufacture iPhones in India

Tech biggie Apple seems to have big plans for India in the year 2017. According to reports, Apple supplier Wistron Corp, a Taiwanese contract manufacturer, is seeking to expand its factory in the city of Bengaluru and has applied for a fast-tracked approval for the same.

Wistron has been recently added as Apple’s third manufacturer for Apple's 2017 incoming iPhone 8. Prior to this, the company had gained experience and credibility as an Apple supplier on secondary iPhone handsets such as the iPhone 5s and, the iPhone SE as well.

It is interesting to note that the news comes just a few weeks after its was reported that Apple is currently in the midst of talks with the Indian government regarding the possibility of assembling its products in India, one of the world’s biggest smartphone markets, where the United States tech firm makes up for less than 2 percent.

While it is still a little too early to say whether or not Apple will consider moving majority of its manufacturing from China to India, but the Wistron news does add another piece of credible evidence suggesting that this could soon be the case. Prior to the Wistron news, there were reports about both Pegatron and Foxconn — both of which are big suppliers of iPhone orders — are considering expanding to the Indian subcontinent.

If Apple ends up setting up its production in India, it would be a big win for the current Indian government which has been campaigning to attract global manufacturers to India under its famous “Make in India” slogan since taking over the power reigns in 2014. Apple's foreign investment in India will help create jobs and boost the country's economy.

While India stands to gain in terms of foreign investment and jobs, a manufacturing unit in India would also be a positive for Apple as it could help in mitigating the accelerating wage inflation in China where the majority of Apple’s devices are currently being made.

According to industry analysts, local manufacturing could be a small but crucial part of wider strategy of Apple to expand in India and even lower the prices of its products in the country after Apple's Chief Executive Tim Cook visited India in May last year and met Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Apple's interest in India is a known thing in the tech world. The tech giant has recently announced about its plans to invest a whopping $25 million in a new office complex in India. In addition to this, it also has plans of opening a new office in Hyderabad, which is considered as an India's tech hub, that will be especially focusing on improving Apple Maps.

Apple To Sell Used iPhone In India And Samsung, Micromax Isn't Happy About It

With an increase in the economic strength of India, many companies are showing interest in expanding their business here. One of them being Apple. Recently, the number of smartphones in India has seen a drastic rise resulting as the third largest smartphone market in the world, behind China and the U.S. This has made India the nation with the second largest number of smart phones. Apple has seen the potential in India and is very eager to increase its presence in India. As of now there is no official retailer for Apple products in India, they sell using third party retailers like local electronic shops and other vendors. Apple has filed an application to get permission to open its own stores in the country to sell products directly.

Apart from this, Apple has another plan which includes selling used IPhones in the Indian market to increase its market share. The Apple phones are a little steeply priced and that is one area where Apple faces problems in India, but they are planning to overcome that by selling previously owned iPhones at a cheaper rate. This plan itself is facing a lot of resistance, especially from companies in the likes of Micromax and Samsung who are currently more popular in India.

Apple's initial application to sell refurbished iPhones or say used iPhones in India was rejected in 2015 by the environment ministry. The company's latest application has gone to "inter-ministerial discussion" and if it gets approved, India would be the first country with used iPhones to be sold directly from Apple.

At this same time, major smartphone makers in the Indian market including Samsung, Karbonn, Micromax and Intex are actively opposing Apple's move on environmental grounds as India is already struggling to deal with a massive e-waste problem.

The other core reason for protesting against this initiative of Apple is that this goes against the "Make In India" plan launched by Modi, which wants to promote more Indian brands. This plan will influence the market in a way that Indian brands will suffer because of this.

All of this is a result of the forecast by the IMF about the Indian economy. The IMF has predicted that the Indian market and economy is on the rise and will be for the next 2-3 years.

The opposition came in a letter sent to the Indian government by a lobbying group recently set up by India's Consumer Electronics and Appliances Manufacturers Association (CEAMA). In the letter, manufacturers argued that allowing the sale of used iPhones in India would not only negatively impact the environment, but it would also go against the country's importation policy.

Apple To Sell Used iPhone In India And Samsung, Micromax Isn't Happy About It

With an increase in the economic strength of India, many companies are showing interest in expanding their business here. One of them being Apple. Recently, the number of smartphones in India has seen a drastic rise resulting as the third largest smartphone market in the world, behind China and the U.S. This has made India the nation with the second largest number of smart phones. Apple has seen the potential in India and is very eager to increase its presence in India. As of now there is no official retailer for Apple products in India, they sell using third party retailers like local electronic shops and other vendors. Apple has filed an application to get permission to open its own stores in the country to sell products directly.

Apart from this, Apple has another plan which includes selling used IPhones in the Indian market to increase its market share. The Apple phones are a little steeply priced and that is one area where Apple faces problems in India, but they are planning to overcome that by selling previously owned iPhones at a cheaper rate. This plan itself is facing a lot of resistance, especially from companies in the likes of Micromax and Samsung who are currently more popular in India.

Apple's initial application to sell refurbished iPhones or say used iPhones in India was rejected in 2015 by the environment ministry. The company's latest application has gone to "inter-ministerial discussion" and if it gets approved, India would be the first country with used iPhones to be sold directly from Apple.

At this same time, major smartphone makers in the Indian market including Samsung, Karbonn, Micromax and Intex are actively opposing Apple's move on environmental grounds as India is already struggling to deal with a massive e-waste problem.

The other core reason for protesting against this initiative of Apple is that this goes against the "Make In India" plan launched by Modi, which wants to promote more Indian brands. This plan will influence the market in a way that Indian brands will suffer because of this.

All of this is a result of the forecast by the IMF about the Indian economy. The IMF has predicted that the Indian market and economy is on the rise and will be for the next 2-3 years.

The opposition came in a letter sent to the Indian government by a lobbying group recently set up by India's Consumer Electronics and Appliances Manufacturers Association (CEAMA). In the letter, manufacturers argued that allowing the sale of used iPhones in India would not only negatively impact the environment, but it would also go against the country's importation policy.

Apple slash down prices of iPhone 4S in India

Apple recently announced that it will be launching the all new iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C in India available from 1st November onward. As an unofficial rule Apple has slash down the prices of its previous iPhone version 4S just before 2 weeks from release of its latest versions.

The official prices for iPhone 4S was Rs.38,500 earlier however recently it has cut the prices by Rs.7000, so now iPhone 4S will be available in India for new price of Rs.31,500.

Despite of price cut by Apple e-commerce portals in India such as Flipkart is still selling iPhone 4S for Rs.38,500 and IPhone 4S white for Rs.36,900

The prices for iPhone 5S announced are Rs.53,500 for 16 GB, Rs.62,500 for 32 GB and Rs.71,500 for 64 GB. It will be available in gold, silver-white and space-grey colors.

On other hand iPhone 5C, the cheapest version ever of Apple iPhones will be available for prices of Rs.41,900 for 16GB and Rs.53,500 for 32 GB available in blue, green, pink, yellow and white colors.

In iPhone accessories, the iPhone 5S cover will be available for Rs.3200 and iPhone 5C cover will be available for Rs.2300.

iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C to arrive in India on 1st November

Apple's latest launched iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C will be launching officially in India for sale before festival of Diwali. The company has officially announced the availability of latest iPhones yesterday.

Apple announced iPhone 5s, the most forward-thinking smartphone in the world, and iPhone 5c, the most colorful iPhone yet, will be available in Italy, Russia, Spain and more than 25 additional countries on Friday, October 25.

And in India, Mexico and dozen of other countries it will be available on Friday, November 1, said Apple officially, although the price has not been revealed for India. Even in the past Apple has always chosen the months of November and December as their launching period in India.

Every customer who buys an iPhone 5s or iPhone 5c at an Apple retail store will be offered free personal setup service, helping them customize their iPhone by setting up email, showing them new apps from the App Store and more, so they'll be up and running with their new iPhone before they leave the store. Customers can learn more about iOS 7 and their new device through new free workshops at all Apple retail stores worldwide.

iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c come with iOS 7, the most significant iOS update since the original iPhone, featuring a stunning new user interface, completely redesigned with an elegant color palette, distinct, functional layers and subtle motion that make it feel more alive. iOS 7 has hundreds of great new features, including Control Center, Notification Center, improved Multitasking, AirDrop, enhanced Photos, Safari, Siri and introduces iTunes Radio, a free Internet radio service based on the music you listen to on iTunes.

iPhone 5s and 5c will be available on Friday, November 1 in Albania, Armenia, Bahrein, Colombia, El Salvador, Guam, Guatemala, India, Macedonia, Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and UAE. Both iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c are currently available in the US, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore and the UK.

[Photo Credit - Ridble, Flickr.com]