Apple Supplier Wistron to Explore iPhone 6s Assembly in India Following Plant Expansion

Wednesday January 31, 2018 2:07 AM PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple's main iPhone manufacturer in India is closing in on a land deal in the tech hub of Bengaluru that will see the firm invest around $157 million to assemble iPhone SE and potentially iPhone 6s models on the site, according to Reuters.

Unnamed Indian government officials on Wednesday reportedly confirmed the Taiwanese contractor's intentions, which could result in its iPhone SE assembly unit taking over about 100 acres in and around the capital of the southern Indian state of Karnataka.


Wistron executives reportedly toured the area in November and met with the industries minister of Karnataka earlier this month, and a deal on the land lease could be struck in a few weeks, according to one of the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity as they are not authorized to publicly comment on the plans.

Another source who spoke to Reuters said Apple will likely begin assembling iPhone 6s models in India soon, using Wistron's expanding manufacturing capacity in the country, as it looks to cut costs and diversify its production base beyond greater China. Launched over two years ago, the iPhone 6s is still popular in emerging markets because of its affordability relative to Apple's iPhone 7, iPhone 8, and iPhone X.

Apple sees opportunities to save on import taxes, price phones cheaper and potentially widen its customer base in India if it assembles phones locally. However last month India raised import taxes on electronic goods, which caused Apple to raise the price of most iPhone models there except for iPhone SE.

Apple has sought tax breaks and incentives from the Indian government for months as it looks to expand operations in the country, but despite some positive comments from state officials, no exceptions have yet been made for Apple.

Related Roundup: iPhone SE
Tags: India, Wistron
Buyer's Guide: iPhone SE (Don't Buy), iPhone 8 (Caution)
29 comments


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Ishan Agarwal
20 weeks ago

Meanwhile nothing is made in North America :-(

But you peeps still get the stuff cheaper!
Rating: 5 Votes
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zz_nosa_r
20 weeks ago
I dont’t want to sound rude, but why is apple really pushing so hard entering the Indian Market when there are other better markets to start with.

It’s expensive, India has very strict laws for foreign companies and the market is very small ( most Indians that i know prefer Android because its cheap)

iPhone sold in India are very expensive, but we should blame it to the government (taxes, duties and stuffs)
Rating: 5 Votes
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69Mustang
20 weeks ago

Are you Indian? Don’t get offended.

There are a lot of Asian Countries. Like Thailand, Malaysia, or Vietnam or the Philippines. There are so many emerging markets that is easier to penerate. And the iphone users in these countries are very high.

No, I am neither Indian nor offended. I simply asked you to expound on your claim of "better markets". If the countries you listed are your examples of better markets... I'm not really sure you understand what a better market is. By no means am I an expert, but I do know basic business. Apple is going hard in India for growth. Combined, those three countries have a total population of ~200 million. Those three countries also already have Apple retail stores, Those three countries already have Apple's contract manufacturers with plants that have been there for years. According to you, those three countries already have high iPhone penetration. So where's the growth going to come from?

It's going to come from India. Apple knows this. It's why they're there.
Rating: 4 Votes
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Madhava
20 weeks ago
If Apple really wants to gain market share in India, they should open Apple Stores in all major cities, offer Apple Care, service and also start monthly plans similar to US.
Rating: 3 Votes
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FriednTested
20 weeks ago

Are you Indian? Don’t get offended.

There are a lot of Asian Countries. Like Thailand, Malaysia, or Vietnam or the Philippines. There are so many emerging markets that is easier to penerate. And the iphone users in these countries are very high.


It’s about the numbers bro. 66 million vs 1.35 billion. So even if 5% of Indians buy the iPhone. It’ll be 100% of Thailand.
Rating: 3 Votes
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69Mustang
20 weeks ago

I dont’t want to sound rude, but why is apple really pushing so hard entering the Indian Market when there are other better markets to start with.

It’s expensive, India has very strict laws for foreign companies and the market is very small ( most Indians that i know prefer Android because its cheap)

iPhone sold in India are very expensive, but we should blame it to the government (taxes, duties and stuffs)

It's pretty easy to claim there are better markets to enter. Can you lay out an argument for a better market for Apple to enter?
Rating: 3 Votes
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acblue94
20 weeks ago
People still buy iPhone 6’s?
Rating: 3 Votes
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GTO
20 weeks ago
Meanwhile nothing is made in North America :-(
Rating: 2 Votes
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Aniruddh
20 weeks ago

The Indian government doesn’t let Apple set up stores or Apple Care or services. I find it hard to believe you don’t know that.


No, that's not true story.

Government has approved 100% FDI in single brand retail.

As for manufacturing, Apple is asking for tax benefits for 15 years on top of MiI incentives and government doesn't want to give advantage to a single company.

http://www.firstpost.com/tech/news-analysis/government-unlikely-to-give-tax-exemption-to-apple-for-manufacturing-iphones-in-india-4253265.html
Rating: 2 Votes
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69Mustang
20 weeks ago

If Apple really wants to gain market share in India, they should open Apple Stores in all major cities, offer Apple Care, service and also start monthly plans similar to US.

Apple has been trying to open stores in India for a while now. They have to meet the "Make in India" thresholds to open stores. MiI is the reason Apple assembles SE's in India now.
Rating: 2 Votes
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