Apple Keeps Its Long-Term Commitment Promise With India: Starts iPhone 7 Production In Bengaluru
US technology giant Apple Inc has started assembling iPhones 7 at a facility owned by its supplier Winstron in Bengaluru, reports news agency IANS.
“We are proud to be producing iPhone 7 in Bengaluru for our local customers furthering our long-term commitment in India," said an Apple spokesperson. Wistron already assembles low-end iPhone SE and iPhone 6S in Bengaluru and the new iPhone 7 assembly was started a month ago.
It was also reported in July 2018 that the Taiwanese industrial major Wistron Technologies would invest Rs 3,000 crore in the Narasupra industrial sector in Karnataka's Kolar. "Wistron India head Gururaj said the company would set up an iPhone making unit in the 43 acres of land allotted to it, with employment potential to 10,500 people," a statement from the Karnataka's Chief Minister’s Office had stated.
Another one of Apple’s major suppliers Foxconn will start manufacturing various iPhone models from this year at its unit Sriperumbudur (Chennai) facility.
"I think to start with, it makes sense for Apple to localise assembling of models that have the potential to scale up and then slowly expands it to entire portfolio," said Tarun Pathak, Associate Director at Hong Kong-based Counterpoint Research.
Supply But No Demand?
However, demand for Apple iPhones in India has remained tepid. The shipment of Apple iPhones into India in 2018 shrank by half from 2017 according to estimates. The latest estimation would mean that 2018 performance has been its worst since 2014 in India and adds to the global problems which have forced Apple to cut upon its revenue outlook.