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Apple Confirms iPhone SE is Now 'Assembled in India' For Local Customers

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Apple today confirmed that its second-generation iPhone SE is now being assembled in India for orders placed within the country.

In a statement shared with The Times of India, Apple said "iPhone SE packs our most powerful chip into our most popular size at our most affordable price and we're excited to be making it in India for our local customers."

iphoneseback.jpg

The new iPhone SE is being assembled by Wistron at its facility in Bengaluru, according to the report. Wistron also assembles iPhone 7 models in India, and in the past, it has assembled the original iPhone SE and the iPhone 6s in the country. Last week, it was reported that Wistron could start assembling iPhone 12 models in India next year as well.

Apple's largest manufacturing partner Foxconn has also made a push into India, where it now assembles iPhone 11 and iPhone XR models.

Wistron and Foxconn are among a growing number of Apple suppliers that have shifted more production to countries like India and Vietnam amid the U.S.-China trade war. Foxconn, which reportedly plans to invest up to $1 billion to expand its Indian operations, recently said that China's "days as the world's factory are done."

Foxconn and Pegatron are among several companies eyeing new factories in Mexico as well, possibly for iPhone assembly, according to Reuters.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Article Link: Apple Confirms iPhone SE is Now 'Assembled in India' For Local Customers
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2020/08/24/iphone-se-assembled-in-india/
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C00rDiNaT0r said:
“Assembled in India", while the parts are still sourced globally.

Time will tell whether this is a more efficient/economical way to meet demand.
Click to expand...

Indeed. I believe the iPhone 12 will have a split production location between India, China, and Indonesia. To be frank, I'd love to see Apple outsource manufacturing across several countries: Argentina and Brazil are in serious need of an economic boost! Maybe not iPhones, but Speakers, Headsets, other accessories?
 
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C00rDiNaT0r said:
“Assembled in India", while the parts are still sourced globally.

Time will tell whether this is a more efficient/economical way to meet demand.
Click to expand...

Wasn't this done so Apple could open Apple stores in India?

9to5mac.com

Report: Indian government rules Apple must sell 30% locally sourced goods to open retail stores - 9to5Mac

In India, it’s required that any company wanting to set up a retail location must sell at least 30 percent...
9to5mac.com 9to5mac.com


Anyone know if there's a price difference between these Assembled in India iPhones vs those that were Assembled in China?
 
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DeepIn2U said:
Indeed. I believe the iPhone 12 will have a split production location between India, China, and Indonesia. To be frank, I'd love to see Apple outsource manufacturing across several countries: Argentina and Brazil are in serious need of an economic boost! Maybe not iPhones, but Speakers, Headsets, other accessories?
Click to expand...
Indonesia is not there yet. I think so far only Pegatron has set up shop here. Unlike India, Indonesia is an island country, and logistic is a nightmare. Imo India will be a major producer first prior to Indonesia. Vietnam may be next.

I do wish for the days when we can have iPhones made locally (Samsung and the other Chinese OEMs are already assembling their phones locally). The current distributors have iPhone prices at ludicrous levels, relying solely on the brand name to sell.
 
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C00rDiNaT0r said:
“Assembled in India", while the parts are still sourced globally.

Time will tell whether this is a more efficient/economical way to meet demand.
Click to expand...
I think it’s done this way to satisfy the Indian government. Don’t they want a certain amount of products to be assembled in India for it to be allowed to be sold on Indian turf?
 
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Tymmz said:
I think it’s done this way to satisfy the Indian government. Don’t they want a certain amount of products to be assembled in India for it to be allowed to be sold on Indian turf?
Click to expand...
True, which is good timing (hastened by Covid and the trade war) for the Taiwanese companies to further diversify their bases away from China. It's extra win for Apple.
 
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4jasontv said:
Most Apple employees are in the USA. Good luck finding enough American engineers willing to do assembly work for minimum wage.
Click to expand...
Well, Yes, most (direct) Apple employees are in the USA, but not the ones that weights more, jobs wise. With 2T$ I think they are able to build a plant there, and also pay decent salaries, but this just proves how greedy Tim Cook is.
 
sw1tcher said:
Wasn't this done so Apple could open Apple stores in India?

9to5mac.com

Report: Indian government rules Apple must sell 30% locally sourced goods to open retail stores - 9to5Mac

In India, it’s required that any company wanting to set up a retail location must sell at least 30 percent...
9to5mac.com 9to5mac.com


Anyone know if there's a price difference between these Assembled in India iPhones vs those that were Assembled in China?
Click to expand...

Ah, yes, there was that requirement. I suppose shipping parts directly to the country that the finished product will be sold is going to have a little bit savings. How long does it usually take assembly lines to recoup initial investments, assuming they are allowed to run 24/7?
 
Wildkraut said:
Well, Yes, most (direct) Apple employees are in the USA, but not the ones that weights more, jobs wise. With 2T$ I think they are able to build a plant there, and also pay decent salaries, but this just proves how greedy Tim Cook is.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I don't think selling iPhones below cost is such a great idea. And I don't think customers would appreciate paying $100 or more more per phone to cover the added labor costs.

But don't worry, iPhone manufacturing WILL return to the USA some day. And there will be jobs for Americans there... maintaining the robots.
 
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Gasu E. said:
Yeah, I don't think selling iPhones below cost is such a great idea. And I don't think customers would appreciate paying $100 or more more per phone to cover the added labor costs.

But don't worry, iPhone manufacturing WILL return to the USA some day. And there will be jobs for Americans there... maintaining the robots.
Click to expand...
iPhone manufacturing will return to the USA? For it to return didn’t it have to be here at some point?
 
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Very simple. For a long term(unless China's strategy of shameless stealing IP, design,product copying than sell it cheaper and use it to dominate world commerce gets under control - which I doubt will ever happen), any place other than China to build products is better for the rest of world.
 
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russell_314 said:
It’s only made in India because the government there puts a huge tariff on imported phones.
Click to expand...

Yes, it is mainly a tariff avoidance measure. India imposes a 20% tariff on communication technology products. There is also an additional 10% social welfare surcharge that is not exempt for cell phone any more. Apple is not alone in setting up local manufacture. Other brands, such as Xiaomi and OPPO, set up assembly lines in India for this reason too.
 
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Wildkraut said:
Well, Yes, most (direct) Apple employees are in the USA, but not the ones that weights more, jobs wise. With 2T$ I think they are able to build a plant there, and also pay decent salaries, but this just proves how greedy Tim Cook is.
Click to expand...

Corporation's don’t owe people anything. They are a social construct designed to absolve individuals from risk not a mechanism for providing financial stability for a nation. The most profitable companies walk the line of human rights violations and ethical gerrymandering.

I’m not saying these are good things just that that’s the rules of the game. If you want to change how profits are distributed you have to either make it financially beneficial to pay people more or you have to make individual risks higher. Both of which compete with the reasons we came up with corporations in the first place.
 
deaglecat said:
Not gonna lie, but I would be happier with a Chinese Made iphone. India is not known for high tech engineering of these modern marvels...
Click to expand...
One said the same thing way back when for Chinese made products, Korean made products, and even Japanese made products. Lo and behold.

Besides, it's all about the quality control.
 
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Wildkraut said:
Well, Yes, most (direct) Apple employees are in the USA, but not the ones that weights more, jobs wise. With 2T$ I think they are able to build a plant there, and also pay decent salaries, but this just proves how greedy Tim Cook is.
Click to expand...
That ship has sailed buddy. Should've asked the likes of Nike and the clothing apparels way back when about outsourcing their manufacturing. It's a global economy now.
 
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