Despite geopolitical pressures and U.S. calls for increased domestic manufacturing, Apple remains firmly committed to expanding its footprint in India. Sources familiar with the matter confirmed on Thursday that the tech giant has no plans to alter its investment strategy in the country and will continue to support the Indian government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative.
“India has clearly demonstrated its value as a strategic manufacturing base,” a source said, pointing to the country’s rising importance in Apple’s global supply chain. This comes in response to comments made by former U.S. President Donald Trump, who recently claimed he had urged Apple CEO Tim Cook to abandon plans to build additional factories in India and instead scale up production in the United States. Trump, speaking during a business forum in Doha, Qatar, suggested that Apple had agreed to increase domestic output.
However, Indian officials and industry insiders have dismissed any suggestion of a strategic shift away from India. In fact, Apple has ramped up both its production capacity and supply chain integration in the country over the past few years, underscoring its commitment to India as a long-term partner.
Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia recently highlighted India’s growing appeal to tech majors like Apple, citing the country’s affordability, reliability, and originality as core strengths. “India offers economic logic and strategic depth to global companies looking to diversify,” he said earlier this month.
Apple CEO Tim Cook has also confirmed that the company will source the majority of its iPhones for the U.S. market from Indian manufacturing units during the April–June quarter, while devices for other regions will continue to be produced in China.
Recent market data supports Apple’s bullish stance in India. According to IDC, Apple posted a record 23% growth in Q1 2025, shipping over three million iPhones, marking its best-ever first-quarter performance in India. The iPhone 16 emerged as the most shipped model, accounting for 4% of all smartphone shipments in the country during that period.
Industry experts believe this trend is set to continue. Prabhu Ram, Vice President at CyberMedia Research (CMR), emphasized India’s growing role in Apple’s supply chain strategy. “With scalable, high-quality manufacturing, a skilled workforce, and a favorable policy environment, India is Apple’s most credible alternative to China for both assembly and exports over the next decade,” he said.
Ram noted that while U.S. policymakers are pushing for a manufacturing resurgence, replicating Asia’s vast and efficient supply chain ecosystem domestically will be both time-consuming and expensive. “India, with its increasing infrastructure and export capabilities, will remain central to Apple’s global ambitions,” he added.
As Apple continues to strengthen its presence in India, the country is fast emerging as not just a manufacturing base, but a key player in the global tech landscape.
