Apple To Start Manufacturing iPhone 14 In India From October 2022 Onwards

After rolling out four models of iPhone 14, Apple is now going to start manufacturing iPhone 14 in India from the next quarter onwards. The tech giant will be manufacturing iPhone 14 models at its manufacturing partner Foxconn’s factory that is located near Chennai.

The Economic Times report quoted two industry experts saying that it is anticipated that the new iPhone models will be commercially available in India by December this year (Q4 CY22). 

It is further estimated that Apple will record the highest shipments of iPhones to India in the fourth quarter of 2022 (December quarter). Experts gauged that the tech giant will ship around 570K units to India as compared to 370K units in the corresponding quarter last year.

It has to be noted that Apple has been progressively culminating lags in the manufacturing process in its Indian units. For iPhone 13, it trimmed the manufacturing timeline from 10-12 months to six months and this year, it is likely to trim the production timeline to two-three months. 

Apple is shifting its manufacturing hubs to India after the Chinese government has implied a zero-Covid policy in the country. Under the policy, the government is forcing local lockdowns and consequently, hampering the manufacturing of iPhone components. 

Recently, Apple launched four models of iPhone 14 series that are priced between INR 79,900 to INR 1,89,900. The tech giant will begin selling these iPhone 14 models in India from September 16th onwards, except iPhone 14 Plus that will be sold from October 7th onwards. 

It is anticipated that Apple will manufacture 11-12 Mn iPhone 14 models in the country via its three contract manufacturers.  

Talking about Apple’s new series, an expert said due to the high price of the new iPhone 14 series, the tech giant would achieve its production-linked incentive target in India. He further said that iPhone 14 series will account for over 20-25% of iPhone sales in the country in Q4 CY22.

As per estimates, Apple’s shipments to India would increase up to 7.5 Mn, accounting for 47% share in the high-end mobile market in India and capturing 4% in the overall mobile market.

Notably, in the first half of 2022, Apple clocked a 50% year-on-year (YoY) growth in its laptop and PC shipments to India, as per Counterpoint’s report.

On the other hand, a CyberMedia Research report states that the tech behemoth sold 1.2 Mn+ iPhones in India in the second quarter of 2022, clocking a 94% year-on-year growth. 

Besides, it announced that it recorded a double-digit revenue surge in India in the March-June quarter of the financial year 2022.