New Delhi: Apple is set to boost the ‘Make in India’ initiative by starting local production of AirPods for export. This makes AirPods the second product category, after iPhones, to benefit from the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme. Notably, the ‘Make in India’ initiative was launched by Prime Minister in September 2014 as part of a wider set of nation-building initiatives.
According to industry sources, Apple will manufacture non-ANC (Active Noise Cancellation) AirPods for export. Production is expected to begin by April at Foxconn’s Hyderabad plant, though the company has not officially confirmed this.
India’s true wireless stereo (TWS) market grew 14 per cent year-on-year in 2024, according to Counterpoint Research. This growth was driven by seasonal sales, affordable pricing, and increased demand across various applications, along with wider availability.
Meanwhile, Apple has hit record iPhone export figures from India, reaching Rs1 lakh crore in just 10 months (April-January) of the current financial year (FY25), thanks to the PLI scheme.
iPhone Export
According to industry data, in the month of January, the iPhone exports reached around Rs 19,000 crore, an all-time high. The overall iPhone exports from the country grew more than 30 per cent in the 10 months this fiscal (April-January 2025) compared to the same period last fiscal (Rs 76,000 crore).
Apple’s Strong Growth in India
India is a huge market for Apple and “we have achieved a December quarter growth record where the iPhone was the top selling model in the country for the October-December period of 2024,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said recently.
Apple recently announced a groundbreaking new lineup of AirPods models and features. The new AirPods 4 are the most advanced and comfortable headphones Apple has ever created with an open-ear design. (With IANS Inputs)