Apple plans to assemble iPhone 17 in India: Ming-Chi Kuo

livemint.com:

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, as reported by MacRumors, suggests that Apple may initiate the assembling of the iPhone 17 in India, marking the first instance where the company will undertake iPhone development outside of China. The New Product Introduction (NPI) is a comprehensive process spanning from product conception to mass market production. Apple has traditionally entrusted this process solely to its Chinese manufacturing plants, but this may be changing.

Additionally, the report highlights that approximately 12-14 percent of iPhones distributed worldwide are manufactured in India, as mentioned earlier. The choice to produce the iPhone 17 in India is attributed to its "simplified design," which is expected to reduce potential complications in the development phase. This development follows Tata Group's recent milestone as the inaugural Indian company to produce iPhones, achieved through their acquisition of the Wistron plant near Bengaluru at a cost of approximately $125 million.

This move is anticipated to raise the percentage of iPhones manufactured in India to 20-25 percent by the year 2024. Following this acquisition, Kuo mentioned, "Apple has the opportunity to enhance its ties with the Indian government. This strategic step will have a positive impact on the prospective sales of iPhones and other Apple products within the Indian market, playing a pivotal role in Apple's growth over the forthcoming decade." Recently, Apple has been actively working on diversifying its supply chain and relocating a significant portion of its production outside of China.