Wistron Corp (緯創), one of Apple Inc’s suppliers, is expected to start shipping the iPhone 7 from its Indian factory later this month for sale in the domestic market, an industry source said on Tuesday.
The source, who asked not be named, said that Wistron began assembly of the iPhone 7 in its factory on the outskirts of Bengaluru at the end of February.
Apple is hoping that the iPhone 7 would trigger buying interest among Indian consumers for the iPhone series, the source said.
Apple’s market share in India fell from 2.4 percent in 2017 to 1.2 percent last year, hurt by the influx of cheap Chinese smartphones that have dominated India’s mass market demand.
The only iPhones Apple is producing in India at present are the iPhone 6 and iPhone 7 models, the source said.
Citing an e-mail reply from Apple, Indian newspaper the Economic Times on Tuesday reported that production of the iPhone 7 in Bengaluru for local consumers signaled the company’s long-term commitment to the Indian market.
Apple’s latest move to roll out the iPhone 7 in India came after Wistron secured approval from Indian authorities to expand its manufacturing capabilities, the report said.
Wistron was one of the Taiwanese manufacturers that invested in India in response to the “Make in India” initiative launched in 2014 to strengthen the nation’s manufacturing capabilities and transform it into a global design and manufacturing hub.
Another source from the construction industry in India told the Central News Agency that Wistron started to build new production lines in its Bengaluru complex in August last year, and the work is expected to be completed in September.
The new facility would initially produce iPhone and Internet devices, and then expand into the production of notebook computers and servers, the source said.
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