New Delhi: Firming up its India presence as Apple diversifies its vast supply chain and research outside of China, the iPhone maker has set up a new research and development subsidiary in the country.
The research and development facility would reportedly focus on research, design, testing and providing support to third-party manufacturers.
According to industry players, the move to establish an R&D facility in India is significant as this will help the tech giant better connect with the local manufacturing ecosystem players and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and create India-specific products and solutions.
Apple currently has R&D facilities in the US, China, Germany, and Israel. The company did not immediately comment on its future plans for research and development in India.
According to Prabhu Ram, VP-Industry Research Group, CyberMedia Research (CMR), just as China powered Apple’s growth in the past, India is poised to do the same over the next decade.
“Key to this growth is not just retail and marketing, but also robust R&D operations. By focusing on India-centric R&D, Apple can fuel the next wave of innovation, catering to the aspirations of Indian consumers and beyond,” Ram told IANS.
Apple is fast-forwarding its manufacturing plans in India and Vietnam. Buoyed by the ease of doing business and friendly local manufacturing policies, Apple’s ‘Make in India’ iPhones are breaking all previous export records.
According to CEO Tim Cook, the company is set to open four more own-branded retail stores in India.
“We continue to be excited by the enthusiasm we’re seeing in India, where we set an all-time revenue record. This has been an extraordinary year of innovation at Apple,” said Cook during the quarterly earnings call (Q4 fiscal year 2024).
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“We can’t wait to bring four new stores to customers in India. We’re passionate about education and believe technology has a vital role to play in both helping teachers to inspire their students and students to learn about the world around them,” said Cook.
According to the latest industry data, the tech giant is on course to surpass the FY24 figures for exports from India, reaching over Rs 50,000 crore (more than $6 billion) in the first six months of this fiscal year (FY25).
iPhone exports from India surged to $10 billion in 2023-24 from $6.27 billion in 2022-23. Overall, the iPhone maker’s India operations reached $23.5 billion in value in the last fiscal year (FY24).
Apple assembled $14 billion worth of iPhones in India last fiscal year and exported more than $10 billion worth of devices.
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