The Indian tech industry witnessed a significant milestone as Apple’s ‘Make in India’ iPhone 16 hit the market. Thousands of eager customers lined up to get their hands on the new devices. The launch took place at Apple’s retail stores in Mumbai and New Delhi, as well as other Apple Authorized reseller stores across the country.
The scenes at Apple BKC in Mumbai and Apple Saket in New Delhi were nothing short of a spectacle, with hundreds of people who had pre-ordered the new 16 series — iPhone 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max — queuing up early to get their devices.
The enthusiasm was palpable, with customers from various cities like Ahmedabad, Surat, Madhya Pradesh, Nagpur, Indore, Bengaluru, Goa, Nashik, and Nanded waiting overnight to make purchases. One customer, who had traveled from Surat specifically to buy the iPhone 16 Pro, expressed his excitement, saying, I come every year for the launch. Our entire family uses iPhones.”
He was not alone in his anticipation, with many others expressing similar sentiments. The iPhone 16 Pro, particularly in the ‘Desert Titanium’ color, was in high demand. One user, who was buying the iPhone 16 Pro for his entire family, said, “Since the first-generation iPhone, we are used to iPhones and cannot switch to any other device.”
The launch of the iPhone 16 series is significant for several reasons. Not only does it mark the latest addition to Apple’s product line, but it also represents a major milestone in the company’s manufacturing strategy in India. The iPhone 16 models are being manufactured/assembled in India, with simultaneous availability along with the global market.
This is a clear indication of India’s growing role in Apple’s production and export strategy. The ‘Make in India’ initiative, launched by the Indian government, aims to encourage companies to manufacture their products in India and incentivize dedicated investments into manufacturing. Apple’s decision to produce the iPhone 16 in India is a significant endorsement of this initiative.
The government’s Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme has played a crucial role in this development. The scheme provides incentives on incremental sales from products manufactured in domestic units. As a result, Apple’s iPhone exports from India reached around $5 billion in the April-August period of this fiscal year (FY25), marking a growth of over 50 per cent from the same period of the first five months in FY24. This is not the first time Apple has made headlines with its product launches in India. In 2017, the company started assembling the iPhone SE model in Bangalore, marking the first time Apple has produced a smartphone in India.
