Synopsis
Apple's outgoing CEO Tim Cook expressed immense excitement for India, highlighting strong double-digit growth in iPhone, iPad, and Mac sales. The company is expanding its retail and manufacturing presence, with about one in five iPhones now made in India, creating significant job opportunities and solidifying its position as a key market and production hub.Listen to this article in summarized format
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“There are a lot of people moving into the middle class there, and we've got some great products for them, both currently and coming. And if you look, the majority of customers in all of our categories, from the iPhone to the Mac to the iPad to the watch, are new to that product there. And so it speaks very well to growing the installed base there,” he explained.
India has been consistently mentioned by Cook in quarterly earnings calls since the third quarter of 2022. Earlier, it was grouped with other emerging markets such as Brazil and the Philippines, and occasionally with developed markets like Spain and Finland. Over time, those markets dropped out of regular mention, but India has remained a constant focus.
Here is why India remains a key focus for Apple, central to its global strategy:
Strong performance
In the March ’26 quarter, the company reported strong double-digit growth in iPhone, iPad, and Mac sales in India, where Apple has about 28% share in terms of value despite comprising only around 10% of the shipments , according to data from Counterpoint Research. The brand has continued to grow in spite of weakness in the broader smartphone market, supported by its premium positioning.
While Cook and co. do not disclose India-specific figures, per a Bloomberg report, Apple’s annual India sales hit nearly $9 billion in FY25. The report noted that revenues rose about 13% in the 12 months to March 2025 from $8 billion a year earlier, with iPhones comprising the bulk of the sales.
This growth reflects a multi-pronged push in recent years. In a bid to expand its retail footprint in the country, Apple opened stores in Bengaluru, Pune, and Noida last year, and is planning its second one in Mumbai this year. It launched its online store in India in 2020, followed by its first physical stores in Mumbai and Delhi in 2023. The company now operates six retail stores in India. Apple has also focussed on improving affordability for entry-level buyers through student-discounts and interest-free EMI options, an area where competitors like Google have been slower to respond.
The company is also seeing rising enterprise adoption in India. John Ternus, the incoming CEO and current SVP of hardware engineering, noted that, "…in India, leading enterprise software provider Freshworks deployed over 5,000 MacBook Pros and MacBook Airs to accelerate their AI development."
Manufacturing base
India is central to Apple’s global strategy both as a market and a manufacturing base.
India’s role in Apple’s manufacturing has increased as the company diversifies beyond China amid US-China trade tensions. About one in five iPhones is now made in India, with production ramping up across five factories. Despite the risk of US tariffs, Apple had indicated last August that it will continue expanding in India and plans to invest about $2.5 billion to increase iPhone production capacity from over 40 million units annually to around 60 million.
Apple has also expanded its supply chain in India to include nearly 45 companies, including local component makers and subassembly partners. They have created about 350,000 jobs, including 120,000 direct roles. This is in addition to employment generated by Apple’s five iPhone manufacturing facilities in the country.
Will India remain a long-term focus for Apple?
While Ternus indicated continuity in disciplined decision-making, any change at this level raises the possibility of a change in direction going ahead.
