Apple and Google to Expand Manufacturing Presence in India

Apple and Google are set to deepen their manufacturing presence in India, with Electronics and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday signalling that Apple could make products beyond iPhones in the country and that India could capture a significant share of Google’s export-oriented production currently based in China. The comments come as the government seeks to move domestic electronics manufacturing ecosystem beyond smartphone assembly and position the country as an alternative production base for global technology companies. Asked whether Apple could manufacture products such as iPads and Macs in India , Vaishnaw said “yes”, indicating that the government expects the company to widen its manufacturing footprint beyond iPhones. He did not specify which products Apple could manufacture in India. “We have multiple advantages. One advantage is of course the policy certainty. Second advantage is the design capabilities,” Vaishnaw said. He also pointed to the design talent available across the country’s global capability centres, technology centres and engineering centres. Apple has steadily expanded iPhone production in India, with Foxconn and Tata Electronics now forming the core of its local manufacturing network. India is expected to account for about 26% of global iPhone production in 2026, according to Counterpoint Research estimates. India has increasingly emerged as an export base for Apple as the company diversifies production away from China . A move into a wider range of products would mark a further step in that strategy and deepen the electronics ecosystem around Apple in India. It would also increase the opportunity for Indian suppliers to participate in the company’s global supply chain, where domestic value addition remains an important area of policy focus. Vaishnaw said the value-addition level in India has already moved beyond 25-28%, and the government expects it to improve significantly during the five-year Mobile Phone Manufacturing Scheme period. Google, meanwhile, is expected to shift a significant share of production meant for overseas markets to India. “The government expects a significant share of Google’s production meant for overseas markets to come to India,” Vaishnaw said. The comment comes days after reports that Google plans to move production of Pixel smartphones, smartwatches and wireless earbuds out of China from 2027, with India and Vietnam emerging as key manufacturing locations. Google has already expanded Pixel production in India, including for export, as it seeks to reduce its dependence on China. Dixon Technologies is among the companies assembling Google Pixel smartphones in India. Analysts said that the two developments underline a broader shift in the domestic electronics manufacturing strategy, from attracting assembly of individual products to securing a larger role in global supply chains.