According to a recent survey, Apple has asked the Indian government to provide financial incentives for manufacturing products like the iPhone in the country.
Apple has already looked into ways to expand its operations in India but has always faced local regulations. Under Indian law, companies selling products in the country must use domestic manufacturing facilities or at least source 30% of their components from local manufacturers.
But now Apple officials are in talks with the Indian government about starting production in the country. According to the Wall Street Journal, Commerce Department officials have already discussed Apple's planned plans, but no official response has been announced yet. Apple wants to emulate the Chinese model in India, something that government agencies are considering.
India is poised to become the world's second-largest mobile phone market, after China, and is expected to overtake the United States. Apple is clearly looking to capitalize on this boom by opening stores across the country. Currently, iPhone sales account for less than 5% of total smartphone sales in India.
Apple CEO Tim Cook, while in the past he had stated that he had no intention of opening a manufacturing plant in India, is now putting this possibility on the table.
The company is currently planning to open two official stores in India, but we don't know any more details about them yet. The iPhone is currently available in India through third-party retailers.
