Apple, Inc. Reportedly Preparing to Begin Manufacturing iPhones in India
There's been a lot of talk over the past few months about where Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) may or may not expand its manufacturing footprint. President Trump would naturally like it if Apple brought some manufacturing jobs back home, despite the massive cost increases that would come along with such a move. But Apple has long faced challenges with expanding sales in India in part due to a government requirement that requires 30% of a product to be locally sourced in order to open single-branded retail stores.
Following reports that the Mac maker was considering moving forward with having one of its contract manufacturing partners set up shop in India, The Wall Street Journal says the initiative is almost a go.
iPhone 7 Plus, which is not expected to be made in India. Image source: Apple.
Just a couple months away
Taiwanese contract manufacturer Wistron is reportedly in the final stages of moving forward with opening an iPhone manufacturing facility that will produce the iPhone 6, iPhone 6s, and iPhone SE. iPhone 6 and 6s production could commence in as little as four to six weeks, while the iPhone SE is scheduled to start being produced in roughly three months.
By assembling iPhones in the country, retail prices should come down by approximately $100, as Apple should be able to avoid having to pay import duties. Apple's pricing still sits out of reach for many Indian consumers, so every little bit that it can do to incrementally reduce prices is welcome; the company has long suffered from single-digit market share in India.
And if manufacturing the handsets locally can help Apple meet the 30% local sourcing requirement, it could also pave the way for Apple retail stores, which are strategically important distribution channels where Apple can control and maintain consistent customer experiences.
That's what he said
Over the years, Apple has vaguely made comments that it wants to expand more in India, but we've only started to see meaningful action in the past year or two. The good news is that the company is already seeing results, and India is becoming one of its fastest-growing geographical markets. That may not say much since its business there is relatively small, so high growth rates aren't all that hard to hit, but CEO Tim Cook's comments throughout 2016 are certainly encouraging.
April 2016 earnings call:
July 2016 earnings call:
October 2016 earnings call:
On the January 2017 earnings call, Cook noted that despite India's move toward demonetization, which has hurt some companies there, Apple enjoyed "all-time record revenue results" in the country. It only goes up from here.
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