JOIN USThe iPhone-maker Apple, which is betting big on India, will set up its first manufacturing facility in the country at the Peenya industrial area here by June. Apple on Thursday held discussions with state ministers and officials, expressing its intention to set up a manufacturing facility in the city. “Apple’s representatives had positive discussions about the initiatives in manufacturing and possible collaborations with the state government in other areas,” Minister for Information Technology Priyank Kharge told DH.
The minister said, “This will foster a cutting-edge technology ecosystem and supply chain development in Karnataka, which are critical for India to compete globally.” “Apple’s decision on initial manufacturing in Bengaluru has further enhanced the reputation of Bengaluru as the most preferred destination for foreign investment and further validation of the state government policies aimed at fostering manufacturing, innovation and investments in Karnataka,” he added.
According to official sources, Apple is outsourcing its manufacturing of iconic iPhones in Bengaluru to Wistron, a Taiwanese OEM maker. “The government is committed to new initiatives in any sector for manufacturing and will provide a conducive environment for investment,” Kharge added. In May last year, Apple announced a new initiative to support engineering talent and accelerate growth in India’s iOS developer community by establishing an iOS app design and development accelerator in the city.
The facility will provide support and guidance on Swift, Apple’s powerful and intuitive programming language created to build apps for iOS, Mac, Apple TV and Apple watch. Swift enables developers to write safer, more reliable code, save time and create richer app experiences. During his India visit in May last year, Apple CEO Tim Cook said, “With the opening of this new facility in Bengaluru, we’re giving developers access to tools which will help them create innovative apps for customers around the world.”