Apple opens iphone 11 production unit in TN

NEW DELHI: US technology giant Apple has started manufacturing iphone 11 at Foxconn’s facility in Tamil Nadu, according to official sources. This is the fifth model of iphone which Apple has started manufacturing in the country. “2020 - iphone 11, 2019 iphone 7 & XR, 2018 - iphone 6S, 2017 - iphone SE. This chronology is a statement in itself as to how @narendramodi govt. has developed the mobile phone manufacturing ecosystem in India.

It’s only a humble beginning,” Telecom and IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said in a tweet. An Electronics and IT Ministry official said “Apple’s latest iphone is now getting manufactured from India”. According to industry sources aware of the development told PTI that “Foxconn has been assembling iphone 11 at the Sriperumbudur facility for a few months and the devices were available in the market from last month. Foxconn also makes the XR for Apple. Wistron makes iphone 7.” Apple and Foxccon did not comment on the matter. According to Counterpoint research, Apple leads ultra-premium smartphone segment -- devices priced above Rs 45,000 a unit, driven by iphone 11 shipments in the second quarter of 2020. The iphone 11 is available in India at starting price of around Rs 68,000 a unit.

“The indian market compared to the world market is about 5-5.5 per cent. So, necessarily for the companies to avail of the product link incentive scheme, global companies Apple, Samsung, Oppo, Vivo, Xiaomi etc will be exporting in a very large volume and value from India,” mobile devices industry body ICEA chairman Pankaj Mohindroo said.