Apple to sell Made in India iPhone on same day as launch for first time

Apple is all set to sell ‘Make in India’ iPhone 15 on the first day of its global sales, within the country as well as export to a few other markets sooner than ever before, reliable sources said on Tuesday. According to IANS, the India-made iPhone 15 will be available on the first day of its global sale. The new iPhone 15 series was likely to go on sale in the days or weeks following the launch on Tuesday (US time). The iPhone 15, alongside the other models expected to launch at Apple’s ‘Wonderlust’ event, is likely to be available in India at the same time as the US.

According to the report, a small set of ‘Make in India’ iPhone 15 units is set to be exported to other countries within a short span of time from its global launch. The development comes weeks after Foxconn fast-tracked the production of iPhone 15 units at its India facility. In August, Apple maker Foxconn geared up the local production of the next-generation iPhone 15 at its Sriperumbudur facility near Tamil Nadu faster than ever, as the company doubled down on the ‘Make in India’ initiative.

Sources close to the development told IANS that Apple aims to deliver locally-assembled iPhone 15 as soon as it is launched globally in the middle of next month, in order to narrow the launch-to-availability gap and increase its exports from India to other nations. The increase in local assembly of the latest iPhone models in India can be cited to Apple’s plan to minimise dependence on China. Last year, Apple started assembling the iPhone 14 at the Foxconn facility in India in September, a first in years when a new iPhone was assembled within weeks of its global launch in the country.

The iPhone 15 is expected to be the most significant update to the device in three years. It will include camera system upgrades across the range, with the Pro models getting an improved 3-nanometer processor. Apple’s upcoming iPhone 15 is also expected to feature USB-C type for the first time. Introducing a USB-C charging cable point in iPhone 15 is set to herald a new era for Apple.

Driven by domestic manufacturing, Apple iPhones are set to garner a 7 percent market share in the Android-dominated smartphone market in India this year. The market momentum for iPhones in India has been driven by the sales of the previous-generation iPhones.

— Written with inputs from IANS