From April, it was learned, Apple will commence production of Airpods for exports at the Foxconn plant in Hyderabad. The production of Airpods will be the second product that Apple will begin manufacturing in the country after iPhones.
"Production of Airpods is going to start in India at Foxconn's Hyderabad facility. It will begin from April but it will be only for exports as of now," an industry source told PTI.
Foxconn, approved about USD 400 million in August 2023, about Rs 3,500 crore, to set up the facility. Apple dominates the global market for true wireless devices.According to Canalys, the company had a 23.1 percent market share in 2024, roughly three times that of the next largest competitor, Samsung, which the research firm estimates at around 8.5 percent.
The significance of Airpods manufacture in India comes amidst speculation that production from the country might be cut after reciprocal tariffs were announced by US President Donald Trump and when it was also reported that the company pledged USD 500 billion investment in the US for its manufacturing units within the next four years.
According to the data shared by India Cellular and Electronics Association, India has 20 percent import duty on hearables and wearables, while it is nil for those in the US. ICEA suggested that India would benefit if the wearables, hearables, and smartphones were imported from the US at zero duty. From April 2 onwards, the Trump administration has proposed to impose reciprocal tariffs on several countries, including India.