Apple to make India-made iPhone 15 available at launch for the first time; Analysts say move shows confidence
Apple has refreshed its iPhone line-up with the launch of the iPhone 15 series, including the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. These phones will be available in India and 40 more countries starting September 22.
Sources familiar with the matter said that Apple will make India-built iPhone 15 units available to Indian customers and customers in “some other regions” on the first day of sales.
The India-built phones will hit the market simultaneously with the China-made ones for the first time.
In India, the iPhone 15 model is being manufactured by Apple’s contract manufacturing partner, Foxconn.
Analysts believe that this move by Apple shows its confidence in its manufacturing ecosystem in India and is aligned with its continuous growth in the market.
“This is a significant step for Apple to get the iPhone 15 made in India, which means Apple is streamlining its supply chain in India and has complete confidence concerning security and privacy aspects of the entire operations along with the capability of its suppliers to manufacture the latest iPhone 15,” Neil Shah, Vice President Research, Counterpoint Research, told ET at the sidelines of the Apple 15 launch at the company’s headquarters in Cupertino.
Shah said that the move also chimes well with the growth Apple has been seeing in the last couple of years in India, which is seeing the premiumisation trend. “So, Apple has a significant opportunity to capture the premium market share.
