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Apple has agreed to a deal with the government of Indian state Karnataka to begin manufacturing iPhones in Bangalore, reports The Times of India. The Karnataka government announced that it had approved Apple's proposal to "commence initial manufacturing operations" in a press release.

indian_flag.jpg

Apple's desire to open a manufacturing hub in India started after Prime Minister Narendra Modi began promoting his "Made in India" initiative. Apple manufacturing partner Wistron will make the iPhones in a new plant, reportedly beginning with the iPhone 8.

Over the past couple of months, Apple and Indian officials began narrowing down possibilities to manufacture products locally. Last month, Apple finally chose a Karnataka-based facility over competing bids from other Indian states Gujarat, Maharashtra and Telangana. During negotiations, Apple was said to be seeking a number of tax and other incentives, including the possibility of long-term duty exemptions.

The government said it's in discussions with Apple for other potential collaborations, but declined to say what they could be. The move is a major step for Apple as it looks to solidify its footing in the subcontinent so it can access India's customer base.

Article Link: Apple Supplier Wistron to Manufacture iPhones in India
 

FX120

macrumors 65816
May 18, 2007
1,173
235
I wonder how many here will complain about India's protectionist policies?
 
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zombierunner

macrumors 68000
Jan 18, 2011
1,732
2,337
UK
I wonder what the pricing for the new iphones in the UK is going to be like considering the fall in the value of the pound. They've already raised mac prices by around £300.
 

Makosuke

macrumors 604
Aug 15, 2001
6,694
1,298
The Cool Part of CA, USA
This is mostly interesting because of the fairly extreme manufacturing processes involved in building an iPhone. I'm not an expert, but it does not seem to be a product you can just crank out easily on an existing line. It seems like the outlay to build/set up the factory would be huge, and would take quite a while to ramp up.

Maybe if all the parts are from suppliers elsewhere and they're just assembling in India it's not as much expense and overhead to tool out the factory? Or maybe it's really not as hard as I'm imagining and/or there's already a lot of infrastructure in place.

Either way, it seems like Apple must be expecting to sell a huge number of devices or it wouldn't be worth the investment.

I imagine from a supply chain perspective, if the product is of identical quality and the cost of production is comparable, the more companies and locations making your stuff the better. Lets you pit manufacturers against each other, and gives you backup options if your main partner has problems for whatever reason.
 

truthertech

macrumors 68020
Jun 24, 2016
2,109
2,263
This is mostly interesting because of the fairly extreme manufacturing processes involved in building an iPhone. I'm not an expert, but it does not seem to be a product you can just crank out easily on an existing line. It seems like the outlay to build/set up the factory would be huge, and would take quite a while to ramp up.

Maybe if all the parts are from suppliers elsewhere and they're just assembling in India it's not as much expense and overhead to tool out the factory? Or maybe it's really not as hard as I'm imagining and/or there's already a lot of infrastructure in place.

Either way, it seems like Apple must be expecting to sell a huge number of devices or it wouldn't be worth the investment.

I imagine from a supply chain perspective, if the product is of identical quality and the cost of production is comparable, the more companies and locations making your stuff the better. Lets you pit manufacturers against each other, and gives you backup options if your main partner has problems for whatever reason.


Foxconn and Pegatron are primarily just assemblers. Most of the products come from around the world. That's why it is feasible to return some manufacturing to USA where it would be a huge boost for engineering jobs, even if highly automated. Here's a fairly recent list, and people may be surprised how many parts are made in USA or made by US companies, but outsourced for production.

Where are Apple products made: Which companies make the iPhone - and where?


  • Accelerometer: Bosch in Germany. Invensense in the United States.
  • Audio Chipsets and Codec: Cirrus Logic in the United States (outsourced for manufacturing).
  • Baseband processor: Qualcomm in the United States (outsourced for manufacturing).
  • Batteries: Samsung in South Korea. Huizhou Desay Battery in China.
  • Cameras: Sony in Japan. OmniVision in the United States produces the front-facing FaceTime camera chip but subcontracts TMSC (in Taiwan) for manufacturing.
  • Chipsets and Processors: Samsung in South Korea and TSMC in Taiwan. Alongside their partner GlobalFoundries in the United States.
  • Controller Chips: PMC Sierra and Broadcom Corp in the United States (outsourced for manufacturing).
  • Display: Japan Display and Sharp in Japan. LG Display in South Korea.
  • DRAM: TSMC in Taiwan. SK Hynix in South Korea.
  • eCompass: Alps Electric in Japan.
  • Fingerprint sensor authentication: Authentec makes it in China but outsources it to Taiwan for manufacturing.
  • Flash memory: Toshiba in Japan and Samsung in South Korea.
  • Gyroscope: STMicroelectronics in France and Italy.
  • Inductor coils (audio): TDK in Japan.
  • Main Chassis Assembly: Foxconn and Pegatron in China.
  • Mixed-signal chips (such as NFC): NXP in Netherlands.
  • Plastic Constructions (for the iPhone 5c): Hi-P and Green Point in Singapore.
  • Radio Frequency Modules: Win Semiconductors (module manufacturers Avago and RF Micro Devices) in Taiwan. Avago technologies and TriQuint Semiconductor in the United States. Qualcomm in the United States for LTE connectivity.
  • Screen and Glass (for the display): Corning (Gorilla Glass) in the United States. GT Advanced Technologies produces the sapphire crystals in the screens.
  • Semiconductors: Texas Instruments, Fairchild and Maxim Integrated in the United States.
  • Touch ID sensor: TSMC and Xintec in Taiwan.
  • Touchscreen Controller: Broadcom in the United States (outsourced for manufacturing).
  • Transmitter and Amplification Modules: Skyworks and Qorvo in the United States (outsourced for manufacturing).
 

barathi23

macrumors newbie
Feb 2, 2017
1
4



Apple has agreed to a deal with the government of Indian state Karnataka to begin manufacturing iPhones in Bangalore, reports The Times of India. The Karnataka government announced that it had approved Apple's proposal to "commence initial manufacturing operations" in a press release.

indian_flag.jpg

Apple's desire to open a manufacturing hub in India started after Prime Minister Narendra Modi began promoting his "Made in India" initiative. Apple manufacturing partner Wistron will make the iPhones in a new plant, reportedly beginning with the iPhone 8.

Over the past couple of months, Apple and Indian officials began narrowing down possibilities to manufacture products locally. Last month, Apple finally chose a Karnataka-based facility over competing bids from other Indian states Gujarat, Maharashtra and Telangana. During negotiations, Apple was said to be seeking a number of tax and other incentives, including the possibility of long-term duty exemptions.

The government said it's in discussions with Apple for other potential collaborations, but declined to say what they could be. The move is a major step for Apple as it looks to solidify its footing in the subcontinent so it can access India's customer base.

Article Link: Apple Supplier Wistron to Manufacture iPhones in India
[doublepost=1486109831][/doublepost]I understand people are skeptical about quality of iphones made in India. As someone else had pointed out in the comments section All the parts will be sourced from the current manufacturers. And would be assembled in India. Once when nokia was at its peak, nokia's facility in Chennai was globally the largest maker of phones with nearly 15mn phones shipping out per month. And similarly most parts were sourced from outside. I think Apple could make a fortune assembling in India. Quality compromise is a false stereotype associated to India. And certainly apple wouldn't choose to make compromised products.
 

zombierunner

macrumors 68000
Jan 18, 2011
1,732
2,337
UK
probably will be cheaper to buy a plane ticket to any other country in the EU and buy it there lol

taxes, customs duties ;(
[doublepost=1486124688][/doublepost]
More great news for AAPL.

aye tim cook's job description is to maximise profits. that's it .. he couldn't care less about the mac or anything else for that matter .. not blaming cook he's doing his job .. it's just the way the world works
 

AFEPPL

macrumors 68030
Sep 30, 2014
2,644
1,571
England
Ironic..

IF it was a made in America, or the UK program it would be racist or anti something or other with marches and petitions..!
 
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Douglas B

macrumors regular
Feb 25, 2010
154
151
Sydney
Sorry for not knowing but do we know for sure if this year's model is iPhone 8? Or is it maybe iPhone 7S. I know it's a 10 year anniversary iPhone and we expect big changes and it's hard to believe such big changes would go into an 'S' model. But is it just consumer/analyst consensus to call it iPhone 8, or is that official from Apple.

And of course I ask here because this article suggests this factory will pop out iPhone 8. Wondering if that means this year or next.
 

JM

macrumors 601
Nov 23, 2014
4,082
6,373
[doublepost=1486109831][/doublepost]I understand people are skeptical about quality of iphones made in India. As someone else had pointed out in the comments section All the parts will be sourced from the current manufacturers. And would be assembled in India. Once when nokia was at its peak, nokia's facility in Chennai was globally the largest maker of phones with nearly 15mn phones shipping out per month. And similarly most parts were sourced from outside. I think Apple could make a fortune assembling in India. Quality compromise is a false stereotype associated to India. And certainly apple wouldn't choose to make compromised products.

Slurp, slurp. Koolaid.

Of course Apple would compromise products, but that isn't to disagree on the build quality of an Indian iPhone.

I think the question to answer is whether or not India has that same "superior assembly expertise" that Cook claims is the reason iPhones aren't assembled in the US.

I don't know how good India is. They could be great, so if someone knows that would be appreciated.

Also, just because they assembled Nokia plastic phones doesn't mean they would be capable of Apple's "high quality standards" (which I don't think exist at the same level as they used to be anymore, anyway)
 

canny

Suspended
Jun 11, 2009
141
524
Incredible that Samsung has just announced they may build a factory in the US, but Apple refuses to. Instead they go to India.

As well as hating his customers, Tim Cook seems to hate his country too.
 

willmtaylor

macrumors G4
Oct 31, 2009
10,314
8,198
Here(-ish)
Incredible that Samsung has just announced they may build a factory in the US, but Apple refuses to. Instead they go to India.

As well as hating his customers, Tim Cook seems to hate his country too.
Congrats. You've made an extremely complex and nuanced topic which contains international politics, business, law, etc., etc. so simple.

Perhaps you should consider running for office? o_O

"Hey, North Korea, stop spending money on atomic weapons instead of feeding your citizens."​

"Hey Israel and Palestine, just stop fighting."​

:D:D:D
 
Last edited:

MentalFloss

macrumors 65816
Mar 14, 2012
1,022
842
Incredible that Samsung has just announced they may build a factory in the US, but Apple refuses to. Instead they go to India.

As well as hating his customers, Tim Cook seems to hate his country too.
Actually, the high-paying jobs Apple has to offer are largely located in the US. It's the low-paying jobs that are outsourced. How much of Samsung's R&D happens in the US?

Yea, sometimes it actually helps to think about topics like this for more than just 5 seconds.
 
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