Over two years after the first iPhone SE devices were assembled in India, Apple is now exporting some India-made iPhones to European markets. The news comes from three people aware of Apple's plans, who stated that iPhone assembler Wistron recently began exporting some ‌iPhone‌ 6s and ‌iPhone‌ 7 models from India to Europe (via The Economic Times).

iphone 7 plus colors
The iPhones are first being built in Wistron's facility in Bangalore, and about 100,000 units per month are being exported. Apple first began this process a few months ago, in a move that should further cement India as one of the company's assembly and manufacturing hubs outside of China.

The other two people, who are senior executives in the industry said that the export volumes were about 70-80% of the total capacity at the facility. Wistron has been making iPhone 6 since the year before and iPhone 7 since the beginning of this year.

According to industry watchers, Apple is said to be treating India "more as a production hub than a significant market" for device sales. The company will start manufacturing higher-end iPhone models locally in India through Foxconn, and as much as 70 to 80 percent of the output of those devices might be exported elsewhere.

Apple has been re-focusing efforts in India in hopes of expanding production outside of China in the wake of the ongoing trade war between the United States and China. Last summer, Apple detailed a new India strategy with official retail stores, overhauled relationships with independent retailers, more frequent sales, and improved apps and services.

Some of these plans have started to come to fruition, as Apple has now finalized a list of locations for its first retail store in India.

Tag: India

Top Rated Comments

BootsWalking Avatar
62 months ago
When Apple runs out of low-wage countries to build phones they're going to colonize a new species on Mars and move production there.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
justperry Avatar
62 months ago
This solution sounds intuitive, but if the termination cost is higher than just keeping the production of certain products, Apple would only make a financially more sensible choice to keep producing those phones.
Just like stopping production of a refinery costs a huge amount, shutting a production line could cost Apple a huge amount as well.
Not necessarily, Apple themselves don't make hardware, it's outsourced, Apple can stop anytime if there are no contracts.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
pika2000 Avatar
62 months ago
When Apple runs out of low-wage countries to build phones they're going to colonize a new species on Mars and move production there.
It’s going to be Wistron/Foxconn/Pegatron that do that, not Apple. Apple doesn’t make their phones themselves.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Shirasaki Avatar
62 months ago
Wouldn’t it just be cheaper to just stop making those models... and just take those manufacturing savings and make the X and XS models cheaper?

Then there’s the XR.... just cut that phone price in half to combat the cheaper android phones

I don’t get it
This solution sounds intuitive, but if the termination cost is higher than just keeping the production of certain products, Apple would only make a financially more sensible choice to keep producing those phones.
Just like stopping production of a refinery costs a huge amount, shutting a production line could cost Apple a huge amount as well.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Falhófnir Avatar
62 months ago
Wouldn’t it just be cheaper to just stop making those models... and just take those manufacturing savings and make the X and XS models cheaper?

Then there’s the XR.... just cut that phone price in half to combat the cheaper android phones

I don’t get it
The 6S is what they're using to compete with £299 Androids...
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Andres Cantu Avatar
62 months ago
If they still make the 6s, I assume it’s likely it will support iOS 14.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

reset password request iphone

Warning: Apple Users Targeted in Phishing Attack Involving Rapid Password Reset Requests

Tuesday March 26, 2024 4:34 pm PDT by
Phishing attacks taking advantage of Apple's password reset feature have become increasingly common, according to a report from KrebsOnSecurity. Multiple Apple users have been targeted in an attack that bombards them with an endless stream of notifications or multi-factor authentication (MFA) messages in an attempt to cause panic so they'll respond favorably to social engineering. An...
maxresdefault

Apple to Launch New iPad Pro and iPad Air Models in May

Thursday March 28, 2024 11:07 am PDT by
Apple will introduce new iPad Pro and iPad Air models in early May, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman previously suggested the new iPads would come out in March, and then April, but the timeline has been pushed back once again. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Apple is working on updates to both the iPad Pro and iPad Air models. The iPad Pro models will...
Generic iOS 18 Feature Purple

iOS 18: What to Expect From 'Biggest' Update in iPhone's History

Wednesday March 27, 2024 11:10 am PDT by
At least some Apple software engineers continue to believe that iOS 18 will be the "biggest" update in the iPhone's history, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Below, we recap rumored features and changes for the iPhone. "The iOS 18 update is expected to be the most ambitious overhaul of the iPhone's software in its history, according to people working on the upgrade," wrote Gurman, in a r...
maxresdefault

Apple Announces WWDC 2024 Event for June 10 to 14

Tuesday March 26, 2024 10:02 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its 35th annual Worldwide Developers Conference is set to take place from Monday, June 10 to Friday, June 14. As with WWDC events since 2020, WWDC 2024 will be an online event that is open to all developers at no cost. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. WWDC 2024 will include online sessions and labs so that developers can learn about new...
apple maps 3d feature

Apple Maps May Gain Custom Routes With iOS 18

Tuesday March 26, 2024 3:10 pm PDT by
Apple may be planning to add support for "custom routes" in Apple Maps in iOS 18, according to code reviewed by MacRumors. Apple Maps does not currently offer a way to input self-selected routes, with Maps users limited to Apple's pre-selected options, but that may change in iOS 18. Apple has pushed an iOS 18 file to its maps backend labeled "CustomRouteCreation." While not much is revealed...
General iOS 17 Feature Orange Purple

Apple Releases Revised Versions of iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 With Updated Build Number

Wednesday March 27, 2024 5:59 am PDT by
Apple on late Tuesday released revised versions of iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 with an updated build number of 21E237, according to MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris. The updates previously had a build number of 21E236. The revised updates are available for all iPhone and iPad models that are compatible with iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, but they can only be installed via the Finder app on macOS...
applephilschiller

Apple's Phil Schiller Works 80 Hours a Week Overseeing App Store

Wednesday March 27, 2024 2:03 pm PDT by
With the App Store and app ecosystem undergoing major changes in the European Union, The Wall Street Journal today shared a profile on App Store chief Phil Schiller, who is responsible for the App Store. Though Schiller transitioned from marketing chief to "Apple Fellow" in 2020 to take a step back from Apple and spend more time on personal projects and friends, he is reportedly working...