Apple’s iPhone exports from India set to double in the next year in diversification away from China
- iPhone exports from India in the April to September period surpassed US$1 billion and could reach US$2.5 billion in the year through March 2023
- The numbers bode well for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s plan to make the country an alternative to China as Apple seeks to diversify its supply chain
At the current rate, outbound shipments of India-made iPhones, mainly to Europe and the Middle East, are set to reach US$2.5 billion in the 12 months through March 2023, the people said. That’s almost double the US$1.3 billion worth of iPhones India exported in the year through March 2022, the people said, asking not to be named as the data isn’t public.
While India makes up just a small fraction of iPhone output, rising exports bode well for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s plan to make the country an alternative to China as factory to the world. Apple, which long made most of its iPhones in China, is seeking alternatives as Xi Jinping’s administration clashes with the US government and imposes lockdowns across the country that have disrupted economic activity.
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“The healthy growth in Apple’s manufacturing scale and export shows India is gradually assuming an important position in the company’s China plus one strategy,” said Navkendar Singh, an analyst at tech research firm IDC. “And for India, this is a big sign of the success of its financial incentives scheme.”
Apple representatives didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment. The Cupertino, California-based company flirted with the idea of making its prized iPhones in India for years before Modi’s US$6 billion incentive push in 2020 drove the US tech giant to get its suppliers to ramp up production.
To be sure, India is still far behind China. About 3 million iPhones were made in India last year, compared with 230 million in China, according to Bloomberg Intelligence estimates.
The devices exported from India from April to August this year comprise iPhone 11, 12 and 13 models, and exports of the new 14 line will begin soon, the people said. Apple began making the iPhone 14 in India last month – sooner than anticipated – after a surprisingly smooth production roll-out that slashed the lag between Chinese and Indian output from months to mere weeks.
Beyond smartphones, India is drawing up plans to boost the financial incentives for tablet and laptop makers, hoping to woo Apple to make MacBooks and iPads locally as well as attract other brands.
But moving out of China, where Apple has built a deep supply chain for close to two decades, isn’t easy. A Bloomberg Intelligence analysis estimated it would take about eight years to move just 10 per cent of Apple’s production capacity out of China, where roughly 98 per cent of the company’s iPhones are being made.
