Apple CEO Tim Cook confirms: Majority of new iPhones sold in the US are ‘made’ in India; while Vietnam is the location for …
Apple CEO Tim Cook said that most iPhones sold in the US during last quarter i.e. Q2 were made in India, despite President Donald Trump’s repeated criticism of Apple’s manufacturing shift. Speaking after Apple’s quarterly results on July 31, Cook said India has now become the main hub for iPhone production for the US market, while China is focusing more on non-US regions. “In terms of the country of origin, it’s the same as I referenced last quarter. There hasn’t been a change to that, which is the vast majority of the iPhone sold in the US or the majority, I should say, have a country of origin of India,” Tim Cook told analysts. For other Apple products like MacBooks, iPads, and Apple Watches, Vietnam has become the primary manufacturing base for US demand. “The products for other international countries, the vast majority of them are coming from China,” the Apple CEO stated
US President Donald Trump’s objection to iPhone manufacturing in India
Donald Trump has been vocal in his opposition to Apple making iPhones in India for American consumers. During his visit to Doha in May this year, Trump said, “I had a little problem with Tim Cook… I said to him, my friend, I am treating you very good… but now I hear you are building all over India. I don’t want you building in India.”Last week, he announced a 25% tariff on imports from India. While smartphones, computers and other electronics devices are exempted from the reciprocal tariffs for now, experts say this may not remain same in the future.
Apple sees record revenue iPhone growth in India
Tim Cook’s comments underline Apple’s strong focus on India, not just as a production base but also as a growing market. He said that Apple is seeing record revenue growth in India, especially from iPhone sales. “We saw iPhone growth in every geographic segment and double-digit growth in emerging markets including India, the Middle East, South Asia, and Brazil,” Cook said.Globally, Apple reported a 10% increase in quarterly revenues, reaching $94 billion. Cook said India was among more than two dozen countries where Apple achieved record revenues in the June quarter.During the analyst call, Tim Cook revealed Apple’s plans to expand its retail footprint in India by opening more physical stores.
Apple CEO Tim Cook on tariff impact
Commenting on the global impact of US tariffs, Tim Cook said the situation is still evolving. “For the June quarter, we incurred approximately $800 million of tariff-related costs. For the September quarter, assuming the current global tariff rates, policies, and applications do not change for the balance of the quarter, and no new tariffs are added, we estimate the impact to add about $1.1 billion to our costs,” Cook explained.He added that these estimates could change depending on future tariff policies.
