Apple’s relationship with India’s Tata Group just got even more critical. As reported by Reuters, Apple has officially brought Tata on board to handle iPhone and MacBook repairs in the country. Here’s why this is big news.
Tata Group has been playing an increasingly important role in Apple’s supply chain, assembling iPhones for both domestic and international markets. It currently has three facilities in southern India, one of which also produces iPhone components.
With today’s news, Tata takes over after-sales repair services from Wistron’s local arm, ICT Service Management Solutions. The repairs will be handled from Tata’s Karnataka campus, where the company already assembles iPhones for both local and global markets.
While Apple’s authorized service centers in India will still handle routine fixes, more advanced repairs, such as motherboard repairs and screen assembly replacements, will now flow through Tata’s facility.
If this sounds like yet another sign that Apple is de-risking its dependence on China’s manufacturing, it is. But it’s also a recognition of just how fast India is becoming a key growth market for Apple.
iPhone sales in India hit 11 million units last year, up from just 1% market share in 2020 to around 7% now, according to Counterpoint Research. The company is also working on opening a third store in the country.
That growth obviously translates directly into a booming market for repairs and service infrastructure, but today’s news could also be a sign of an even bigger play by the iPhone maker: refurbished devices.
Here’s Cybermedia Research’s Prabhu Ram:
“Tata’s deepening partnership with Apple could also pave the groundwork for Apple directly selling refurbished devices in India, like how it does in the United States currently,”
Apple hasn’t commented publicly on the move, and the transition from Wistron to Tata is still underway. But with Tata now involved in both manufacturing and repair operations, it’s clear Apple is doubling down on its bet in India, whether the U.S. government likes it or not.
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Marcus Mendes is a Brazilian tech podcaster and journalist who has been closely following Apple since the mid-2000s.
He began covering Apple news in Brazilian media in 2012 and later broadened his focus to the wider tech industry, hosting a daily podcast for seven years.