Apple has plans to start manufacturing iPhones in the state of Karnataka, located in southern India. Whilst the company has previously depended on Foxconn for its manufacturing, an assembly plant in India would enable Apple to sell directly to India"s customers for the first time.
The firm has aims to establish iPhone’s presence in India, which currently holds just a 2% of India"s mobile phone market. The company shipped approximately 2.5 million phones into the country in 2016. According to Priyank Kharge, IT minister for Karntaka, all devices provided will be targeted at the domestic market. The manufacturing plant is set to be located in Bangalore, India"s technological hotspot.
In a recent tweet, Kharge suggested the relationship would be "another validation for Karnataka" as it hopes to establish its global technological presence. The IT minister also said the relationship would nurture a "cutting edge technology ecosystem" between the company and the Karnataka region.
Whilst no timescale has been provided, reports suggest the operation could begin as early as April.
Source: Bloomberg via BBC News | Apple store image via Social Barrel