"We are excited to begin making iPhone 13"
Apple has begun manufacturing the latest iPhone 13 in India.
The move is expected to boost the presence of one of the biggest tech companies in India.
Foxconn’s plant in Sriperumbudur near Chennai will be producing the iPhone 13 units.
With the latest announcement, Apple now manufactures all its latest iPhone models in India.
However, if you are anticipating a drop in prices, Apple may not do that yet.
In a statement, Apple said: “We are excited to begin making iPhone 13 — with its beautiful design, advanced camera systems for stunning photos and videos, and the incredible performance of the A15 Bionic chip — right here in India for our local customers.”
Apple’s manufacturing partners in India, Foxconn and Wistron, are already manufacturing older iPhone models, but the iPhone 13 will first go into production at Foxconn’s facility.
Apple’s third partner, Pegatron, is also expected to begin production but it could take up the manufacturing of the iPhone 12 first.
Apple now manufactures iPhone 13, iPhone 12, and iPhone 11 locally.
None of the Pro models is manufactured in India as of now.
Also, Apple said it will manufacture iPhone 13 in India for local customers, which means the India-produced units are unlikely to be exported to other markets.
The decision to produce iPhone 13 locally comes around six to seven months after Apple launched it back in September 2021.
This is a significant reduction in the timeframe that Apple earlier used to set for the production of iPhones in India.
The production of the iPhone 12 in India began around eight months after the launch.
Regardless, Apple now launches its latest flagship iPhone models in India at the same time as its prime markets such as the US and Canada.
With local manufacturing of new iPhone models, Apple is planning to increase the volume and rely less on imported units that attract hefty taxes from the government.
The availability has improved over the years.
The sales of iPhones spike around festivals when third-party shopping websites put up various offers to lure customers and with local production, Apple has managed to maintain a steadfast supply.
Apple also confirmed that many of its supplier sites in India now utilise solar and wind energy for operations.
It added: “All established iPhone final assembly supplier sites in India do not generate any waste sent to landfill and are UL Zero Waste certified.”