Apple in no hurry to make more models in India

BENGALURU: Apple Inc. will stick to making iPhone SE model at its Bengaluru plant for some more time and has no immediate plan to assemble its flagships iPhone 7 and 7 Plus in the country, government officials aware of the matter said.

“Apple Inc. will focus on SE model both for India and overseas markets,” a government official in Bengaluru said. “It is looking to start exports from India,” the person told ET.

It is more than two months since the Cupertino-based technology giant started assembling iPhones at its original design manufacturer partner Wistron’s facility in Peenya, Bengaluru.


In an email response to ET’s questions on when it plans to have other models assembled in India and about its phase II plans, an Apple spokesperson said, “No fresh announcements on that front.”

According to the government source quoted earlier, Wistron has not made any fresh request for approval. The iPhone SE, launched on March 31 last year, is more than a year old, but remains a favourite among users. Apple flagship models are iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. The much-hyped iPhone 8 is expected later this year. “The rollout of SE will result in growth but it would be slow growth,” said Tarun Pathak, associate director at Counterpoint Research. “Assembling the phones here would reduce the affordability of the aspirational value.”