Search results for: “India”

Apple has recently made a pair of significant changes. To begin, it added RAC7, which is very well known in Canada for developing entertaining games like “Sneaky Sasquatch.” Now that RAC7’s team is part of Apple, they will join others to design new and fun games that may appear on Apple Arcade. This proves that Apple wants to offer a better gaming service and add fun to their users’ gameplay.

Apple is, at the same time, raising its manufacturing in India. During the last year, the export of Apple’s iPhones manufactured in India increased by 50%. Apple is building iPhones in India and exporting them around the world. As a result, Apple is less dependent on outsourcing in China, and India’s technology sector expands. Doing this enables Apple to deal with fewer trade issues and ship iPhones faster and more easily to users globally.

They both indicate that Apple wants to increase its presence in different markets. Purchasing RAC7 will help Apple deliver more impressive games and increase its user base. If Apple makes more iPhones in India, it can serve more customers and maintain its success. These decisions will probably ensure Apple leads in both technology and gaming.

Apple plans to start shipping iPhones made in India to the U.S. starting in 2026. This move is part of Apple’s bigger plan to reduce its reliance on China for manufacturing and to grow its production in India.

Right now, Apple already makes some iPhones in India through its partners like Foxconn, Wistron (now owned by Tata), and Pegatron. However, these phones are mostly for sale in India and a few other countries. Starting in 2026, Apple will reportedly begin sending some of these India-made iPhones to the U.S. as well.

The iPhones for the U.S. market will come from a new Foxconn factory being built in Karnataka, India. The facility is expected to be ready in April 2026. Once running, it could produce up to 20 million iPhones each year, and about half of them might be sent to the U.S.

Apple has been slowly increasing its production in India over the past few years. In 2023, around 14% of all iPhones were made in India, which is a big jump from just 1% in 2020.

This change shows Apple’s long-term goal to diversify its supply chain. By making more devices in India, Apple can reduce risks from political issues or other problems in China, while also supporting India’s growing manufacturing industry.

Apple is now enjoying a significant tax benefit in India, making it less expensive to put together iPhones right there in the country. This news came from the government just this past weekend.

India, a Growing Hub for Apple

India has become the second biggest place where Apple makes its iPhones, only behind China. There have been big plans talked about, suggesting that by 2027, half of all iPhones might be made in India. However, things haven’t moved as quickly as hoped.

Last year marked a big change, though. According to Bloomberg, one out of every seven iPhones was made in India by April. The production of newer, high-end models was slower because they needed very specialized equipment. But with the iPhone 16, things got better as production in India started not long after the phone was first introduced.

New Tax Benefits

The Indian government has been slowly lowering the taxes on importing parts needed to make electronics in India. They’ve now made this even better by announcing more reductions. Reuters mentions that one of these changes is setting the tax rate to zero for printed circuit boards, which are crucial for phones like the iPhone.

During the annual budget presentation on Saturday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman shared that they’ve removed taxes on several parts needed for making mobile phones. This includes the assembly of printed circuit boards, parts for camera modules, and USB cables, which used to have a 2.5% tax.

This tax cut is expected to reduce the cost of making iPhones in India, hoping that Apple will choose to do more of its manufacturing there.

Source

The digital world once envisioned as a borderless expanse of information and freedom, is increasingly becoming fragmented by national regulations. Following a similar move in China years ago, Apple has begun removing Virtual Private Network (VPN) applications from its App Store in India, signaling a significant shift in the availability of online privacy tools in the country. This action comes in response to a controversial Indian law that mandates stringent data retention policies for VPN providers. 

This isn’t the first time Apple has faced such a dilemma. Back in 2017, the company was compelled by the Chinese government to remove hundreds of VPN apps from its Chinese App Store. At the time, Apple CEO Tim Cook explained that the company had to comply with local laws, despite its preference to keep the apps available. He expressed hope that the restrictions would eventually be loosened, but years later, those restrictions remain firmly in place. This precedent casts a long shadow over the current situation in India.

The Indian government introduced the contentious law in 2022, effectively prohibiting anonymous VPN usage and requiring providers to maintain detailed logs of user activity. These logs must include sensitive information such as users’ names, addresses, IP addresses, and transaction histories, and be retained for a period of five years. Initially, the implementation of this law faced delays due to widespread objections. While it was eventually introduced, enforcement remained lax for a period. However, that period of grace has ended.  

Recent reports confirm that Apple has started removing VPN apps from the Indian App Store to comply with the now-enforced regulations. This action follows similar removals from the Google Play Store, indicating a coordinated effort by Indian authorities to enforce the new rules.

It appears that the government is taking a targeted approach, identifying and ordering the removal of non-compliant apps individually. This suggests that the process will be protracted, potentially leading to a significant reduction in the number of VPN apps available to Indian users, mirroring the situation in China. 

Among the removed apps are several prominent VPN services, including Cloudflare’s popular 1.1.1.1 service. The removals were triggered by orders issued by the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs, as evidenced by official documents and disclosures made by Google to Lumen, a Harvard University database that tracks government takedown requests globally.  

This situation puts reputable VPN providers in a difficult position. Complying with the Indian law would require them to compromise their core principles of user privacy and anonymity. Maintaining detailed logs of user activity goes against the very purpose of a VPN, which is to provide secure and private online access. Consequently, most reputable VPN providers are unlikely to comply with these demands, choosing instead to withdraw their services from the Indian market.

For Apple, this situation presents a complex challenge. The company has consistently emphasized its commitment to user privacy. However, it also has a legal obligation to comply with the laws of the countries in which it operates. This creates a clear conflict of interest, forcing Apple to choose between its stated values and its business interests.

While Apple could theoretically take a stand and withdraw from the Indian market altogether, such a move is highly improbable. India has become a crucial market for Apple, serving as its second-largest production center and a rapidly growing consumer base. Moreover, the precedent set in China, a far more critical manufacturing hub for Apple, suggests that the company is unlikely to prioritize principle over market access.  

The removal of VPN apps from the Indian App Store represents more than just a reduction in available software. It symbolizes a growing trend of governments seeking greater control over online activity, often at the expense of individual privacy. This trend raises serious concerns about the future of internet freedom and the ability of individuals to protect themselves from online surveillance.

The situation in India serves as a stark reminder that the fight for online privacy is an ongoing battle, one that requires constant vigilance and advocacy. The digital landscape is changing, and the implications for users in India, and potentially other countries, are significant.

Source