HIGHLIGHTS

* Foxconn’s Sriperumbudur plant is working on the iPhone 15 production.
* Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 15 series at an event on September 12.
* Apple is looking to diversify its manufacturing away from China.
* Apple is also reportedly planning to manufacture AirPods in India, starting at Foxconn’s Hyderabad factory.

Apple supplier Foxconn has reportedly started production of the next-generation iPhone 15 in Tamil Nadu’s Sriperumbudur as the contract manufacturer looks to increase volumes from India.

Foxconn’s India plant is preparing to deliver iPhone 15 smartphones only weeks after they start shipping from factories in China, reports Bloomberg.

This comes days after Hon Hai Technology Group chairman Young Liu said that Foxconn’s revenue, number of employees, and investment scale have grown exponentially since it entered India in 2005.

“In addition to existing operations in the Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu states, Hon Hai will also deploy in Karnataka, Telangana and other states,” Liu said in the company’s second-quarter earnings report.

Through close cooperation with central and local governments, Hon Hai will plan to establish industrial parks and optimise the business environment in terms of infrastructure, policies and laws, says Liu.

“At present, it is mainly engaged in the ICT final assembly business. Going forward, Hon Hai will actively deploy work in the area of key components to raise its competitiveness in India,” he adds.

In May, Foxconn’s India subsidiary acquired a 300-acre land parcel on the outskirts of India’s tech capital Bengaluru to ramp up production of iPhones.

The Karnataka government had earlier approved an ₹8,000 crore proposal by the Taiwanese electronics giant to set up a mobile phone manufacturing unit near Bengaluru.

The other two Taiwanese companies Wistron and Pegatron also assemble Apple iPhones in India. Wistron manufactures Apple devices at its Hosur facility in Krishnagiri district of Tamil Nadu.

Tech giant Apple is looking to convince India’s growing middle class to switch to iPhones. In a conference call after the Cupertino, California-based company unveiled its June quarter earnings, chief executive officer Tim Cook said Apple grew in ‘strong’ double digits in India.

“We did hit a June quarter revenue record in India, and we grew strong double digits. We also opened our first 2 retail stores during the quarter. And it’s early going currently, but they’re beating our expectation in terms of how they’re doing,” Cook said, without disclosing any numbers.

Apple continues to work on building out this channel and putting more investment in its direct-to-consumer offers as well, Cook said. “I think if you look at it, it’s the second-largest smartphone market in the world. So we ought to be doing really well there. And where I’m really pleased with our growth there, we still have a very, very modest and low share in the smartphone market. And so I think that it’s a huge opportunity for us. And we’re putting all of our energies in making that occur,” he added.

The iPhone 15 is one of the most-awaited smartphones of the year. Apple is expected to make some big changes with the upcoming iPhone including the Dynamic Island Notch design being a part of all models and the USB Type C charging support, a first for Apple.

Reports have also said that the camera of the iPhone 15 will also receive some major upgrades and the low-light camera performance might see a massive improvement.
Moreover, the iPhone 15 is expected to be powered by Apple’s A17 Bionic chipset.

Last year, Apple had launched the iPhone 14 with the old A15 Bionic chip with the Pro models having the A16 Bionic chip. Hence, the A17 Bionic chip in the iPhone 15 seems to be a major upgrade when it comes to the phone’s processor.

Tata Group is expected to become the first Indian company to produce iPhone models for Apple. It is because the group is said to acquire the Wistron Corp. factory in a deal worth USD 600 million. It will take over operations of the factory in Karnataka and start making iPhones.

Apple is also working with Foxconn to begin AirPods production in India by December 2024. The supplier is reportedly ready to invest USD 400 million in its Hyderabad plant.

It is currently unknown if it will be making Pro, non-Pro, or both AirPods models in India.
For the uninitiated, the iPhone 15 series is an upcoming series that will succeed the current-gen iPhone 14 series.

It is tipped to have four models: iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max. The series is rumoured to bring various changes, including USB Type-C support.

There will be improvements in the camera department, and it is said to be the biggest iPhone upgrade in the last three years.

Faqs

1) What are the details of Made in India iPhone 15?

Ans) As per a Bloomberg report, the production of iPhone 15 will begin in Tamil Nadu soon. A Foxconn Technology Group’s plant in Sriperumbudur is gearing up to manufacture the new series of iPhones. The report adds that the Indian plant is aiming to deliver the devices just weeks after they start shipping from factories like China. People familiar with the matter told Bloomberg that the company is trying to increase the volume of iPhones coming from India.

In addition to this, the report says that the Cupertino-based tech giant is trying to diversify its manufacturing and moving it away from China amidst rising tensions between Washington and Beijing.

Other suppliers in India, the Pegatron Corp. and a Wistron Corp. factory that is being acquired by the Tata Group will also start production of the iPhone 15 in India soon. However, a question looms over the scale of the production of the new phones. As per the report, the scale will depend on availability of components, that are majorly imported.
The iPhone 15 is expected to launch on September 12. However, the date of the launch is yet to be confirmed by Apple.

2) Apple AirPods manufacturing in India.Details?

Ans) Earlier today, it was reported that Apple is planning to manufacture AirPods in India as well. A PTI report said that Apple will most likely start working on production of AirPods at Foxconn’s Hyderabad factory by December 2024.

The report, quoting a source, added, “Foxconn Hyderabad factory will make AirPods. The factory is expected to begin mass production by December.” However, it isn’t clear if the tech giant will also begin manufacturing the AirPods Pro in India as well.

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