Overview
- The majority of iPhones sold in the United States are now manufactured in India, CEO Tim Cook confirmed on Apple’s August earnings call.
- A 25% tariff on Indian imports took effect immediately, leading Apple to incur about $800 million in costs during the June quarter and anticipate another $1.1 billion in the current period.
- Apple has no plans to alter its India expansion strategy and will continue to absorb higher duties rather than scale back local production.
- Apple is also diversifying production of Macs, iPads and Apple Watches to Vietnam to further reduce reliance on China.
- Industry analysts say India remains cost-competitive for iPhone manufacturing thanks to federal incentives, local component supply and lower labor costs.