India is poised to contribute to Apple’s product development, encompassing research, design, and testing in the near future. According to media reports, Apple establishes wholly owned subsidiary, Apple Operations India, in the country. The new entity’s filing discloses proposed activities: equipment procurement, facility leasing, engineer hiring, and failure analysis services. Apple Inc has given a ‘letter of comfort,’ assuring it will provide “operational and financial support” till the “foreseeable future,” said Apple Operations India in the filing with the Registrar of Companies (RoC) last week.

India will witness a historic milestone if the company undertakes hardware design and testing within the country. This will be for the very first time, when India will host Apple’s hardware design and testing operations. Apple’s R&D operations are presently located in the United States, China, Germany, and Israel. Apple India, the sales and marketing entity, is owned by Apple Operations International, based in Ireland, which oversees European operations, according to the RoC.

According to the filing, Apple’s new India subsidiary will support contractors and manufacturers by providing them the hardware, software and other services.

Currently, the company collaborates with Foxconn, Pegatron, and Wistron (owned by Tata) for iPhone production in India. Apple plans to kickstart production of the iPhone 17 base model in India through a partnership with a local manufacturing facility. In the meanwhile, the production of the standard iPhone 17 is expected to begin in the second half of 2025 in India.

Also, India’s iPhone exports skyrocketed to $10+ billion in FY23-24, a 60% increase from $6.27 billion in FY22-23. According to media reports, In the previous fiscal year, India assembled $14 billion worth of iPhones for Apple, with exports totalling over $10 billion.

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