Foxconn weighs plans to assemble Apple iPads in India: Report

The Taiwanese manufacturer may begin assembling iPads Tamil Nadu's Sriperumbudur facility, the report added.

Taiwan-based Foxconn is evaluating plans to assemble Apple iPad in India, marking a significant expansion of its current operations, The Economic Times has reported.

The Taiwanese manufacturer may start assembling iPads at the Sriperumbudur facility in Tamil Nadu, the report said.

So far, Foxconn and other global contract manufacturers have only assembled Apple’s smartphones in India. “Foxconn is seriously looking to start assembling Apple iPads out of its Tamil Nadu facility,” one person told ET.

Moneycontrol was the first to report on Apple's plans to make iPads in India

Also read | Proposed duty cuts: Prices of fully assembled imported smartphones may fall in India

As per the report, some rounds of discussions are done with the government as well. "Their (Foxconn's) experience so far has been very good, and they are coming full force. They will double what they have in the next few years, which includes iPhone, iPads and some other products too," a source told ET.

Queries sent to Apple and Foxconn by ET remained unanswered.

Also Read  | Looking to expand beyond iPhones, Foxconn may manufacture AI servers in India: Report

As per the report citing industry experts, capabilities required to manufacture an iPad are similar to that of smartphones, unlike a laptop which requires more complex production facilities.

“It (iPad) is like a bigger iPhone in essence, so it is something that can be assembled in India without too much trouble as Apple’s contract manufacturers are already well equipped to manage such functions," another source told the daily.

Foxconn will also gain from production-linked incentives (PLI 2.0 for IT hardware) which includes tablets, as it increases its investments in India.