Apple has recently appointed India as its own sales region for the first time, marking a significant shift in its international businesses division. According to Bloomberg, the company has reshuffled its senior executives, with Ashish Chowdhary taking over as head of India after Hugues Asseman, who was previously in charge of India, the Middle East, the Mediterranean, East Europe, and Africa, retired.
Since entering the Indian market in 2020, Apple has been diversifying its efforts out of China by expanding its production footprint in the country. This has resulted in the creation of thousands of jobs and an increase in local manufacturing of the iPhone SE 2. Apple has been looking to reduce its dependence on China, which is its primary manufacturing hub.
In late 2022, Apple began shipping made-in-India iPhone 14 and 14 Plus models, just a few months after launching them in China. Its supply partners are making significant investments in establishing factories in India to manufacture parts and assemble iPhones. Companies such as Foxconn are among those investing heavily in the country.
Furthermore, Apple has started hiring for its first retail store in India, with plans to open more stores later this year. The company has created an online store to serve the region, which has contributed to the record revenue it posted in India last quarter, despite a 5% dip in total sales.
Apple CEO Tim Cook has described India as an “exciting market” and “a major focus” for the company. During the Q1, 2023 earnings call, he mentioned that the company had seen double-digit growth in India, despite facing headwinds. Apple has been putting a lot of emphasis on the market, with financing options and trade-ins to make products more affordable and give people more options to buy.
Apple aims to replicate its success in China by taking what it learned from scaling there and applying it to the Indian market.