Apple unveiled its 2022 iPhone lineup at its ‘Far Out’ event on September 7. The series consists of iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max and the all-new iPhone 14 Plus. The Cupertino-based company has dropped the ‘mini’ lineup with the iPhone 14 series. The 2022 iPhone series comes with an improved camera, powerful sensors and satellite messaging feature to send SOS texts in emergencies.
The iPhone 14 will be shipped from Foxconn's Sriperumbudur facility on the outskirts of Chennai. For the unversed, Foxconn is the world's largest contract electronics manufacturer and major iPhone assembler.
The US-based company started manufacturing iPhones in India in 2017 with iPhone SE. Today, Apple manufactures some of its most advanced iPhones in the country including iPhone SE, iPhone 12, iPhone 13 and, now, iPhone 14.
In a statement to PTI, Apple said “We're excited to be manufacturing iPhone 14 in India. The new iPhone 14 lineup introduces groundbreaking new technologies and important safety capabilities."
The Cupertino-based company has a long-standing history in India that started more than 20 years ago. Apple launched its online store in the country in September 2020 and is set to deepen its commitment with the upcoming launch of Apple retail store.
The recent manufacturing expansion builds on several Apple initiatives in the country, including App Design and Development Accelerator in Bengaluru and programmes with local organisations to support renewable energy training and development for communities.
India's vibrant market is turning out to be the sweetspot for the US tech giant, as the company reported a "near doubling" of revenue in the country in the quarter ended June 2022. A recent report by JP Morgan on 'Apple Supply Chain relocation' predicted that Apple "is likely to move about 5 per cent of iPhone 14 production to India from late 2022 and reach 25 per cent by 2025".
It is also forecast that nearly 25 per cent of all Apple products, will be manufactured outside China by 2025 as compared to five per cent at present.
Meanwhile, the Indian government's policy push in the electronics sector has nudged large global suppliers to expand in India, and driven new players to set up base. The government has unveiled attractive incentives to spur local production and export of telecom and networking equipment as well as IT products, and a ₹76,000 crore semiconductor scheme was announced late last year to boost local manufacturing of chips and display panels. Last week, it sweetened the semiconductor package further by increasing the fiscal support for new facilities (across technology nodes) to cover 50 per cent of project cost.
(With inputs from PTI)
