Apple and India battle time and geography in iPhone production shift

India’s manufacturing share of iPhones, depending on estimates, ranged between 10% to 20% at the end of 2024.

There are reports that Apple intends to shift manufacturing of all US-bound iPhones, from China to India. That means, around 60 million more iPhones may be made in India, destined specifically for the US — this, in addition to iPhones already made here for domestic consumption, and exports. If Apple’s manufacturing partners in India are able to pull this off, it’ll be nothing short of a coup, say analysts.

Employees at the mobile phone plant of Rising Stars Mobile India, a unit of Foxconn Technology, in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu. Foxconn currently produces more than 60% of all iPhones being put together in India. (Bloomberg File)

There are three distinct yet overlapping pieces that need to come