Apple seeks government incentives to set up manufacturing unit in India

“Apple has sought incentives from the government to set up a manufacturing unit in the country,” Press Trust of India reports. “In a communication to the government, the Cupertino-based technology major has asked for incentives related to the Department of Revenue and Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeITY), an official told PTI.”

“At present, to boost electronic manufacturing in the country, the government provides benefits under Modified Special Incentive Package Scheme (MSIPS),” PTI reports. “The scheme provides financial incentives to offset disability and attract investments in the electronics hardware segment. It also gives subsidy for investments in Special Economic Zones, among other benefits.”

“Currently, Apple’s products are manufactured in six countries including Korea, Japan and the US,” PTI reports. “It has no wholly-owned store in India and sells its products through distributors such as Redington and Ingram Micro.”

Read more in the full article here.

MacDailyNews Take: From the horse’s mouth:

[India is] huge and not just from a market point of view. We are looking at India more holistically than that… We are obviously thinking through the supply chain piece. We had an idea with the certified pre-owned and we are working with the government on that. There is some misunderstanding that it is refurbished, and it is not that at all. These are things we do in the US, Japan and pretty much every country in the world. And so that would be bring a level of operational responsibility and training into the country, which I think is really important. It is clear that we need an Apple retail presence over time, so we are working on that as well. Again, we are looking at it from many different angles and not solely from a market point of view.

This is what we want. It is great for India. I see a reform-minded government, perhaps still in the early stages, but clearly moving things to welcome businesses. And when I look at the top objectives like Digital India, the focus on skills and education, the focus on Made in India, I think they are exactly the right priorities. I feel very much welcomed.

I have seen some very bold plans on 4G and a lot of commitment to it. I think there is going to be a fairly rapid change. It is not going to happen tomorrow and there is a journey there, but I see the seeds already planted and we are going to grow very fast over the next several months… I do think that 4G will have a profound effect, I am not talking about evolutionary, but it will be profound. It will be great to see that happen. — Apple CEO Tim Cook, May 23, 2016

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India should allow Apple to sell Apple Certified Refurbished iPhones, iPads, and other Apple products:

The “Make in India” program is supposed to focus on creating skilled jobs and minimizing environmental impact. Blocking Apple from selling Apple Certified Refurbished iPhones and forcing the company to set up factories full of entry-level assembly jobs in order to open brand new retail stores accomplishes neither objective.

Indians can’t have nice, clean stores or real iPhones are great prices (Apple Certified Refurbished iPhones are better than new fragmandroid phones) because your government is “protecting” you against such things in favor of importing pollution and crap, menial, unskilled, low-paying jobs. So, don your face masks like the Chinese to ward off the smog (not that iPhone assembly is particularly polluting, but the requirement forcing 30% of manufacturing into the country will lead to pollution from other industries) and have fun with your insecure, never-to-be-updated fake iPhones!

Or, some portion of the 1.3 billion Indian citizens could demand that the handful of government dullards blocking Apple reconsider their trade ideas. — MacDailyNews, May 26, 2016