In 2017, Apple's supplier partner Wistron Corp. started assembling iPhone SE and in the following year commenced iPhone 6S series, and now its successor iPhone 7 is under production at the company's unit in the Peenya, an industrial hub in western Bengaluru.
Wistron started the iPhone 7 assembling in early March and will soon hit stores with the tag—'Designed by Apple in California, Assembled in India'.
"We are proud to be producing iPhone 7 in Bengaluru for our local customers furthering our long-term commitment in India," Apple said to International Business Times, India Edition.
In the last quarter, Apple iPhone sales declined for the first time, reportedly due to consumers restraining to buy new iPhones and instead subscribed to subsidised battery replacement programme. It can be noted that Apple's biggest market China and even in developing countries, iPhone penetration is reaching its peak and India, seems to be the next big growth generator, not just for Apple but also to other big rivals such as Samsung, Xiaomi, OnePlus and Huawei, among others.
While Apple's market share growth has been pretty much flat in the previous year, it is expected to grow in 2019, as the company has already restructured the regional board particularly sales division and distributor partners. And now with the local assembling of iPhone 7, Apple will be able to save on custom duty taxes and pass on the benefits to the customers in addition to the improving customer service in India.
"Apple's older generation models still contribute to half of the iPhone sales in India. In a scenario of a price cut, iPhone 7 can be the new iPhone 6 for Apple in India by bringing in users whose purchase intention is driven by the strong aspirational value of attached to the Apple products,"
Tarun Pathak, Associate Director with Counterpoint Technology Market Research said to IBTimes India.
Currently, the cost of the iPhone 7 models—32GB and 128GB—are Rs 39,900 and Rs 49,900, respectively.
The iPhone 7 assembling will also give impetus to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led central government's ambitious 'Make in India' initiative, as the latter the goes for poll seeking the second term in the Parliament.
Apple iPhone 7 sports a 4.7-inch retina display and comes packed with 64-bit architecture-based A10 Fusion chip with M10 motion coprocessor (It has a 64-bit 4-core. Dual-core processors which are 40-percent faster than the A9. Other two cores are of "high efficiency" and use 1/5 power to save battery life of the device and graphics processor is 50-percent faster than the A9 CPU). It is backed by 2GB RAM, 32GB/128GB/256GB storage and day-long battery (under mixed usage).
As far as the photography is concerned, it boasts enhanced 12MP camera featuring OIS (Optical Image Stabiliser), F1.8 aperture, 6-element lens and Quad-LED True Tone flash. On the front, the iPhone 7 series houses an improved 7MP FaceTime HD camera.
It can be noted Apple's supply chain partner, Wistron's Bengaluru plant is having a positive impact on its supplier workers and the local environment. The company achieved Platinum Zero Waste to Landfill Platinum certification in record time.
"To reach platinum certification, a factory must divert 100-percent of its waste from landfill, with a maximum of 10% being sent to a waste-to-energy facility. The UL (Underwriters Laboratories) Standard is a rigorous and comprehensive standard for waste streams from manufacturing environments," Apple Supplier Responsibility Report 2019 states.
In a related development, Wistron has received an official nod from the Indian government for Rs 5,000 Crore investment plan. The company is reportedly setting up a mega mobile manufacturing plant in a 43-acre industrial plot in Narasapura (Kolar), 70 km from the Silicon City of India, Bengaluru.
There is a strong possibility that Wistron might start assembling of high-end mobile such as iPhone X or later versions in the near future at the aforementioned site. Industry sources have confirmed to IBTimes India that Wistron's new plant will also be catering to other mobile brand clients in addition to Apple in India.
Key specifications of Apple iPhone 7:
| Models | Apple iPhone 7 |
| Display | 4.7-inch (diagonal) LED‑backlit widescreen with Retina HD (1334x750p) resolution
|
| OS | Apple iOS v10 |
| Processor | 64-bit architure-based A10 Fusion chip with M10 motion coprocessor(It has a 64-bit 4-core. Dual-core processors which is 40 percent faster than the A9. Other two cores are "high efficiency" and use 1/5 power to save batter life of the device and graphics processor is 50 percent faster than the A9 CPU) |
| RAM | 2GB |
| Storage | 32GB/128GB/256GB |
| Camera |
|
| Additional camera features |
|
| Battery | Talk time (wireless):
Standby:
Internet use:
Wireless video playback:
Wireless audio playback:
|
| Network | 4G-LTE |
| Add-ons | Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n/ac with MIMO), Bluetooth 4.2 wireless technology NFC, Near Field Communication, Assisted GPS and GLONASS, Digital compass |
| Dimensions | 138.3 x 67.1 x 7.1 mm |
| Weight | 138g |
| Colours | Jet Black (exclusive to 12GB/256GB), Black, Gold, Rose Gold and Silver |
