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Apple manufacturing in India could expand beyond iPhones, Union Electronics and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said. The company may add products such as iPads and MacBooks after building a large iPhone supply chain in the country.
Vaishnaw also said Google could transfer part of its export-focused device production from China to India. His comments came at the launch of the Rs 62,500-crore Mobile Phone Manufacturing Scheme, which covers five financial years from 2026-27 through 2030-31.
When reporters asked whether Apple could manufacture iPads and MacBooks in India, Vaishnaw answered, “Yes.” He said the company may add other hardware categories to the Indian ecosystem that iPhone production has already built. Apple has not announced products, plants or production schedules under the scheme.
India wants global technology companies to increase production and exports while developing local supplier networks. Google could also use India as a larger export base while diversifying device manufacturing away from China, Vaishnaw said. He did not provide a timetable or estimate for Google’s potential production shift.
The Mobile Phone Manufacturing Scheme will replace the earlier production-linked incentive programme for large-scale electronics manufacturing. Eligible companies can receive incentives of 2.25% to 5% on sales. They can earn up to 1.5% more by sourcing listed parts, including displays, camera modules, batteries, enclosures and USB cables, within India.
Manufacturers must source those components locally for at least 25% of the phones they sell during a financial year. The government expects the scheme to raise domestic value addition, expand exports and strengthen suppliers. It targets about Rs 39 lakh crore in cumulative phone production and Rs 15 lakh crore in exports over five years.
The scheme creates a separate route for Indian smartphone brands. Qualifying companies can receive a 5% base incentive on eligible sales, plus up to 1.5% for domestic sourcing. They can also receive 3% for Indian design and research work. Vaishnaw said the government has identified three potential domestic players that may emerge within 10 to 14 months.
Officials have not identified the three companies or described their planned product segments.
To qualify as an Indian brand, a company must incorporate in India and hold its intellectual property and trademark domestically. Indian citizens must control its management and own more than 51% of its shares. The business must also maintain internal design and research operations in India.
Electronics and IT Secretary S Krishnan said mobile phones accounted for 61% of India’s electronics exports last year, compared with about 4% in 2014-15. Their share of domestic electronics manufacturing reached 48%, up from roughly 10%. Government data also shows mobile phone exports rose 166 times between 2014 and 2025.
The earlier programme also produced Rs 11.62 lakh crore of cumulative output and Rs 6.43 lakh crore of exports. Those totals reached 142% and 132% of their respective targets, according to figures the government presented during the scheme’s launch.
India is now the world’s second-largest mobile phone manufacturer by volume, while local factories make 99.2% of phones that consumers use domestically. Under the earlier incentive programme, investment reached Rs 20,587 crore against a Rs 7,000-crore target. The new scheme also seeks to create 60,000 direct jobs in phone manufacturing and related sectors.
