Apple has started manufacturing its second iPhone model in India, as the company struggles to capitalize on the local smartphone market's growth while complying with a government initiative called Made for India.
Approval for the plan was received in March, and The Economic Times report indicates that manufacturing of the iPhone 6 began earlier this month.
The first-generation iPhone SE has been manufactured at the same facility by Taiwanese company Wistron since May 2017, and the report claims that the iPhone 6s was specifically chosen to be manufactured alongside the 4-inch model due to its sales momentum.
Despite the fact that the iPhone 6 is produced locally, the device will not become cheaper for buyers in India. Production is only now ramping up, and Apple will continue to import the iPhone 6 until demand catches up with local production.
Additionally, many of the device's parts are manufactured in China and then imported to India, so unless Apple produces all of its components locally, it's unlikely its devices will receive significant discounts for local buyers.
On the other hand, moving some of its production to India helps Apple comply with a government program called Made for India that requires foreign companies to build devices in the country in order to be allowed to sell them locally. The government has not only tried to attract foreign companies with tax incentives, but has also doubled import duties from 10% to 20%.
At this point, we don't know anything else about any other models that could be produced in India, but depending on how Apple's manufacturing plans change globally, more iPhones could be headed to India. A second-generation iPhone SE is still unconfirmed, meaning the first model could remain on the market for a bit longer than initially expected.
