Foxconn͏͏ is͏͏ gearing͏͏ up͏͏ to͏͏ make͏͏ the͏͏ iPhone͏͏ 16͏͏ Pro͏͏ series͏͏ right͏͏ here͏͏ in͏͏ India!͏͏ They’ve͏͏ just͏͏ bought͏͏ equipment͏͏ worth͏͏ about͏͏ Rs͏͏ 267͏͏ crore͏͏ to͏͏ expand͏͏ their͏͏ factory͏͏ in͏͏ Tamil͏͏ Nadu.
According͏͏ to͏͏ a͏͏ regulatory͏͏ filing,͏͏ Taiwanese͏͏ electronics͏͏ giant͏͏ Foxconn͏͏ has͏͏ procured͏͏ machinery͏͏ worth͏͏ $31.8͏͏ million͏͏ (which͏͏ is͏͏ roughly͏͏ Rs͏͏ 267͏͏ crore).͏͏ This͏͏ move͏͏ is͏͏ all͏͏ about͏͏ adding͏͏ capacity͏͏ to͏͏ their͏͏ Tamil͏͏ Nadu͏͏ unit͏͏ for͏͏ manufacturing͏͏ the͏͏ upcoming͏͏ iPhone͏͏ 16͏͏ Pro͏͏ smartphones.
In͏͏ their͏͏ filing,͏͏ Foxconn͏͏ mentioned,͏͏ “Subsidiary͏͏ Foxconn͏͏ Hon͏͏ Hai͏͏ Technology͏͏ India͏͏ Mega͏͏ Development͏͏ Private͏͏ Limited͏͏ announces͏͏ obtaining͏͏ of͏͏ machinery͏͏ equipment”͏͏ with͏͏ a͏͏ total͏͏ transaction͏͏ amount͏͏ of͏͏ “$31,804,528.45″͏͏ from͏͏ “APPLE͏͏ OPERATIONS͏͏ LIMITED”.
This͏͏ is͏͏ huge͏͏ because͏͏ it’s͏͏ the͏͏ first͏͏ time͏͏ Apple’s͏͏ high-end͏͏ iPhone͏͏ Pro͏͏ series͏͏ will͏͏ be͏͏ made͏͏ in͏͏ a͏͏ country͏͏ other͏͏ than͏͏ China.͏͏ It’s͏͏ like͏͏ India͏͏ is͏͏ stepping͏͏ up͏͏ on͏͏ the͏͏ global͏͏ tech͏͏ stage.
Earlier͏͏ this͏͏ month,͏͏ Apple͏͏ announced͏͏ that͏͏ they’ll͏͏ begin͏͏ rolling͏͏ out͏͏ their͏͏ first-ever͏͏ “Made͏͏ in͏͏ India”͏͏ iPhone͏͏ 16͏͏ Pro͏͏ and͏͏ iPhone͏͏ 16͏͏ Pro͏͏ Max͏͏ series͏͏ soon.͏͏ If͏͏ everything͏͏ goes͏͏ well,͏͏ we͏͏ might͏͏ see͏͏ these͏͏ devices͏͏ hitting͏͏ the͏͏ shelves͏͏ late͏͏ this͏͏ month͏͏ or͏͏ early͏͏ November.
The͏͏ Economic͏͏ Survey͏͏ 2023-24͏͏ even͏͏ highlighted͏͏ Apple’s͏͏ expansion͏͏ in͏͏ India.͏͏ It͏͏ said,͏͏ _“Apple͏͏ assembled͏͏ 14%͏͏ of͏͏ its͏͏ global͏͏ iPhones͏͏ in͏͏ India͏͏ in͏͏ FY24.͏͏ Foxconn͏͏ invested͏͏ in͏͏ the͏͏ states͏͏ of͏͏ Karnataka͏͏ and͏͏ Tamil͏͏ Nadu͏͏ to͏͏ set͏͏ up͏͏ new͏͏ manufacturing͏͏ plants͏͏ for͏͏ components.”
Apple’s͏͏ Partners͏͏ in͏͏ India
Apple’s͏͏ manufacturing͏͏ partners͏͏ in͏͏ India͏͏ aren’t͏͏ just͏͏ Foxconn.͏͏ They͏͏ also͏͏ include:
- Pegatron
- Tata-owned͏͏ Wistron
- The͏͏ Tata͏͏ Group
Why͏͏ This͏͏ Matters
For͏͏ us͏͏ consumers,͏͏ this͏͏ could͏͏ mean͏͏ quicker͏͏ access͏͏ to͏͏ the͏͏ latest͏͏ iPhones.͏͏ Plus,͏͏ it’s͏͏ a͏͏ big͏͏ boost͏͏ for͏͏ India’s͏͏ manufacturing͏͏ sector.
(With Agency inputs)
