India produced 15 million iPhones between 2016–2023, compared to China’s 153 million from 2006–2013.
Most Indian operations remain limited to assembly (FATP) with parts flown in from China.
Apple’s full manufacturing shift to India could take another 5–10 years, McGee notes.
Apple has been building its production infrastructure in India for some time. According to veteran technology journalist Patrick McGee’s recent book Apple in China, published by Simon & Schuster, India is far behind of China in terms of iPhone production and will take more than 5 years to catch up with the explosive pace.
In the book, he describes how Apple built infrastructure and used it as a central hub for its global operations. Between 2006 and 2013, the company produced 0 to 153 million units, accounting for a significant share of global shipments. In comparison, India’s iPhone output increased from zero to approximately 15 million units between 2016 and 2023, accounting for roughly one-tenth of China’s growth over the same time period.
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Apple began manufacturing iPhone Pro models in India last year and is currently responsible for their assembly. According to McGee, India’s contribution is still mostly restricted to FATP (Final Assembly, Test, and Pack). The main suppliers come from China, and Taiwanese contract manufacturers like Foxconn and Wistron reassemble them in India. “Made in India iPhones are basically “assembled in China, disassembled there, and then sent to China for reassembly,” one engineer joked.
He also mentioned that Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, had said that India was on a “China-like trajectory,” but that the company’s growth has been slowed by infrastructure and regulatory limitations. Apple didn’t open an online store in India until 2020, and the company didn’t open its first physical store until 2023, which was 15 years after its first store opened in China.
McGee also points out that geopolitical tensions and the COVID-19 lockdown in Shanghai in 2022 were watershed moments, prompting Apple to diversify its supply chain. Still, he claims that establishing parallel manufacturing operations in India has increased complexity without providing true resilience.
While Apple intends to expand its manufacturing capabilities in India over the next five to ten years, McGee’s analysis reveals a fundamental truth: India’s relationship with Apple, while progressing, is still in its early stages and far from rivalling the scale and efficiency achieved in China.
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Ashish Singh
Ashish Singh is the Chief Copy Editor at Digit. He's been wrangling tech jargon since 2020 (Times Internet, Jagran English '22). When not policing commas, he's likely fueling his gadget habit with coffee, strategising his next virtual race, or plotting a road trip to test the latest in-car tech. He speaks fluent Geek. View Full Profile
