World’s biggest tech company, Apple, might start manufacturing iPads in India this year. The Cupertino tech giant is shifting its production facilities from China to India and Vietnam for minimising the impact of the USA-China trade war and the coronavirus. According to a report from Reuters, Apple is looking to participate in the new Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme of the government for boosting India’s exports of computer products. Thus, Apple might start manufacturing iPads as early as this year in India — more details on the story ahead.
Apple to Produce iPads in India With Manufacturing Partners
The Indian government is currently planning to introduce a new PLI scheme looking to increase the exports of computer products such as laptops and tablets. The new PLI scheme budget will be up to Rs 70 billion ($965.4 million) spread across five years. It is expected to be announced by the government by the end of this February.
Apple can ask its contract manufacturing partners in the country, Foxconn and Wistron for producing iPads in India. However, Apple hasn’t taken Wistron out of probation yet after the incident last year.
If Apple decides to give the contract of manufacturing iPads in India to its Chinese partner, BYD Electronic International, its plans may get delayed since India doesn’t want Chinese companies to get new tech businesses and contracts based out of India.
A government official said that Apple should award the contract of manufacturing iPads in India to the non-Chinese companies. One of the three companies that might get the contract are Foxconn, Wistron, and Pegatron.
Which company would end up with the contract is unclear at the moment. Apple has been manufacturing iPhones in India since 2017 and has ramped up the productions with every year that has gone by.
Foxconn had already pledged that it plans to invest up to $1 billion for expanding its factory in Southern India to assemble iPhones.
