US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he has asked Apple CEO Tim Cook to stop production of iPhones in India, and they make them in the US.
Apple has no smartphone production in the US – most of its iPhones are created in China, while facilities in India produce about 40 million units per year (about 15 percent of the annual production of Apple).
Trump, who is emphasizing for local manufacturing in his second term as President, said Apple “will increase its production in the United States.” Soon after Trump’s comments in Doha, Qatar, the Government of India officials spoke to Apple officials who assured that Apple’s investment plan for India was intact and the company proposes to make the country a major manufacturing basis for its products.
“I had some problems with Tim Cook yesterday,” Trump said about his conversation with Apple’s CEO in Doha. “I told him, Tim, you are my friend. I have treated you very well. You are coming with 500 billion USD (investment). But now I have heard that you are building all over India. I don’t want you to build in India if you want to take care of India.”
Apple promised to spend US $ 500 billion in the US earlier this year in the next four years.
As a result of a discussion with Cook, Trump said Apple “will” increase its production in the United States. ” He was not detailed.
While Apple did not respond to an e-mail sent for the comments, sources said the Indian authorities spoke to the officials of the Kupertino-based firm on Trump’s statements.
“Apple has said that its investment plan in India remains intact and it proposes to continue India as a major manufacturing basis for its products.”
The availability of cheap skilled labor and accurate engineer product supply chains has inspired Apple in China and India for the manufacture of iPhones. American labor and manufacturing are expensive in comparison.
Trump suggested that Apple may make its products in India for the Indian market. But the iPhone being sold in the US in India will have to be stopped. “You can build in India. If you want, to take care of India.” Cook earlier said that Apple would be the source of most iPhones sold from India to the US in the June quarter, while China would produce most equipment for other markets amid uncertainty on tariffs.
India-made iPhones have gathered in Taiwan’s factory in Taiwan’s contract Foxconnous factory in Tamil Nadu. Tata Electronics, which runs the operation of Petron Corp in India, is the other major manufacturer. Tata and Foxcony are building new plants and add production capability to increase iPhone production.
Apple collected an estimated 60 percent more iPhones of the estimated 22 billion USD in India in the year ended 31 March.
Foxconn has also started construction of apple airpods in Telangana for exports.
According to an analysis by S&P Global, iPhone sales in the US were 75.9 million units in 2024, with exports to 3.1 million units from India, the need for double shipment requirement through either new capacity or redirected shipment through shipments bound to the domestic market.
“Apple’s Indian exports were already leading to the United States, which represented 81.9 percent of the phones exported by the firm by February 28, 2025 in three months. In March 2025, the export of exports to 219 percent resulted in a resulting resulting in 97.6 percent, possibly reflected to see high tariffs to the firm,” S&P said.
Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnav announced in April that an iPhone worth Rs 1.5 lakh crore was exported from India in the financial year 2025.
Apple ecosystem in India is the largest jobmaker in the country. It is estimated that about 2 lakh people have been appointed in various vendors of the country.
An official said that India’s smartphone exports are growing at a healthy rate and have become “consistent and important” player in the field, an official said that the country has become a major mobile manufacturing hub today.
Companies like Apple make their investment decisions in places that offer strong manufacturing competition.
“I think we have shown the world that we are highly competitive in terms of assembly work, which is a labor-intensive work and we have created a ecosystem that is good for modern and sophisticated assembly units, which are needed for modern mobile phones to firms like apples,” the official said.
It has been said in India that India is coming as a country that can give high -tech companies in the world a good competitive lead and the country will attract these companies to create in India.
(Except for the headline, the story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is published by a syndicated feed.)
