Your Next iPhone Might Not Be Made in China

Apple keeps investing in its Indian operations, so the company is expected to soon begin exporting iPhones manufactured in the country to other markets across the world.

That’s what the Indian government said this week, revealing that the Cupertino-based tech giant and its partners plan to expand iPhone production in India, while also focusing more on other areas, such as component manufacturing.

Apple debuted in India with the production of the iPhone SE, but local operations have gradually been expanded to include other models too, including iPhone 6s, iPhone 7, and the newer iPhone X and iPhone XR.

Some of these models are projected to be shipped to foreign markets too, with Apple also believed to be planning the manufacturing of iPhone 11 at its Indian facilities.

iPhone parts production

But India’s information technology minister Ravi Shankar Prasad says the expansion won’t just stop here, and exports of both phones and components for the iPhone should reach $1.6 billion in 2019 alone.

Salcom and Foxconn, two of Apple’s partners in India, are also preparing massive investments in their local operations.

Salcom would begin manufacturing components, including chargers, near Chennai, with investments to get close to $300 million in the next five years. The government says this plan would help create some 10,000 jobs.

At the same time, Foxconn wants to increase the number of production facilities from two to four and expand the existing operations with the addition of new production lines that would help assemble more iPhones locally.

At first glance, India can help Apple reduce reliance on China, especially given the existing trade tension between Beijing and Washington. However, as per a Reuters report, India is still behind in terms of infrastructure, especially as foreign companies plan to expand their local operations at a faster pace.