HIGHLIGHTS
- Assembly of the Apple iPhone 17 will start in India in the latter part of 2025.
- This is allegedly due to the iPhone 17’s less challenging design.
- We think that the rising tensions between Apple and China and the better situation with India may be the cause of this.
Apple is progressively turning its attention away from China and toward India. Following rumors that the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus were assembled in India, a fresh report indicates that the iPhone 17 will also be produced in this country. In contrast to the previous iPhone models, which were primarily manufactured in China with a smaller amount going to domestic companies, Apple has announced that it will begin assembling the iPhone 17 in India in H2, 2025.
India to assemble the iPhone 17: Why and When?
Apple will begin assembling the regular iPhone 17 in India in the second half of 2025, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
- He claims that this will be the result of the vanilla iPhone 17’s “lower difficulty” design, which may indicate a decreased chance of mistakes and manufacturing hazards.
- Apple’s ties with China have been deteriorating lately. Analyst Jeffries claims that iPhone sales have been dropping by double digits and that Huawei may overtake Apple by 2024. There have been rumors that Chinese government officials have been told not to use iPhones at work amid the US-China tech spat. China muttered worries about security holes in iPhones despite denying this.
- However, Apple has found favor with both the Indian government and its populace. The demand for iPhones and other aspirational items from Apple has been rising in India, the country with the second-largest smartphone market.
- For the first time, Apple is giving India precedence over China, despite the fact that it has been producing iPhones there since 2017. This is attributable to the country’s new administration and the simplicity with which programs like Made in India and Production-Linked Incentives, or PLI, may be implemented.
India has produced iPhones for a variety of markets, starting with older iPhone models and PCBs and working its way up to premium models.
Additionally, we have arrived at a point when our own Tata Group has started producing iPhones at its facility in Karnataka, following a period when international Apple suppliers were investing more in our market. It recently purchased this device from Wistron, an Apple supplier.
According to Mr. Kuo, between 12 and 14 percent of iPhones are currently built in India; that number might rise to 20 to 25 percent the next year.
