Mumbai: Apple has started manufacturing iPhone 16 series in India, the company confirmed on October 4.
The company has also announced plans to open four new stores in the country.
Apple launched the new iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max on September 9, with sales starting on September 20. The iPhone 16 series phones manufactured in India were said to hit the global market some time after the sales began.
The new stores are being planned in Bengaluru, Pune, Delhi-NCR, and Mumbai. Currently, Apple has two company-owned stores in India, one each in Delhi and Mumbai.
“Our stores are incredible places to experience the magic of Apple, and it’s been wonderful to deepen our connection with our customers in India,” Business Standard quoted Deirdre O’Brien, Apple’s senior vice president of Retail.
“We’re thrilled to build our teams as we plan to open more stores in India because we’re inspired by the creativity and passion of our customers across this country. We can’t wait for them to have even more opportunities to discover and shop for our amazing products and services and connect with our extraordinary, knowledgeable team members.”
Apple began manufacturing iPhones in India in 2017 but it was limited to manufacturing the older generation of iPhones. India-made iPhone 13 made their global debut in 2021, a few months after the launch of the iPhones. However, India-made iPhone 14 models reached the global market in less than two weeks in 2022. Reducing the time gap, India-made iPhone 15 series were available from the day of their launch. However, the production remained limited to base and Plus iPhone models.
For the first time, Apple is manufacturing its entire iPhone series in India, including the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. The India-made iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus have been available in the country since their launch.
Earlier this year, Apple inaugurated a new office in Bengaluru, Karnataka, which spans 15 floors. The company stated that the Bengaluru office can accommodate up to 1,200 employees and includes dedicated lab space, collaboration and wellness areas, as well as Caffe Macs.
