Apple will further scale up its Make in India initiative by commencing local manufacture of AirPods in the nation, its second flagship product line after iPhones to avail itself of the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme.
Industry sources report that Apple will initially produce AirPods (with the exception of the Active Noise Cancellation version) for exports, with the production to be started in April at Foxconn's Hyderabad factory. The company, however, has not given an official statement yet.
India's true wireless stereo (TWS) market grew 14% year-on-year in 2024, as per research by Counterpoint. The growth was fueled by festive sales, rising affordability, more use cases, and broader distribution channels.
In parallel, Apple recorded all-time-high iPhone export volumes from India, reaching ₹1 lakh crore in the April-January period of the ongoing FY25, thanks to the PLI scheme. iPhone exports had already crossed a record ₹19,000 crore mark in January alone. On the whole, iPhone exports out of India rose by over 30% when compared to the same period in the previous fiscal (₹76,000 crore).
Appreciating India's importance as a major market, Apple CEO Tim Cook recently emphasized that the company had a record-breaking December quarter in India, with the iPhone being the best-selling model during October-December 2024.
Apple has also introduced a new series of AirPods models with leading-edge innovations. The new AirPods 4 have the most advanced and comfortable design to date, with an open-ear form factor.
Read also| Centre Cracks Down on Digital Fraud, Blocks 3,962 Skype IDs and 83,668 WhatsApp Accounts
Read also| Nothing Phone (3a) Sale Begins on March 11; Prices Start at ₹19,999
