India to Remain the ‘Apple’ of Apple’s Eye

Due to lack of supply chain, skilled labor, and high cost of manufacturing in the US, the price of an iPhone would be almost 8 to10 times more, if manufactured in the US compared with India.

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Amid geopolitical tensions and ongoing tariff truce, Apple is quietly mapping its global manufacturing outlook. India takes centre stage as an undeterred CEO Tim Cook - despite warnings from President Donald Trump to slap 25 percent import duty in the US on Indian-assembled iPhones - refuses to back down. At least the numbers tell us so. Shipments of iPhones from India to the U.S. rose 76 percent in April 2025, year on year, estimates from Canalys, a technology market analyst firm shows. The surge comes as Apple accelerates its “Made in India” plans. This is not a standalone instance. According to S&P Global Market Intelligence, 81.9 percent of iPhones exported from India between December 2024 and February 2025 were shipped to the U.S. In March 2025, that figure jumped to 97.6 percent following a 219 percent jump in exports - a result of Apple expediting shipments ahead of expected U.S. tariffs. This comes as Apple reroutes its supply chain away from China due to ongoing tariff war. The iPhones imported from China under Trump’s current term, still face tariffs of additional 30 percent of duties, while the baseline tariff rate is currently 10 percent for India.