From iPhone 3G to first retail store: Apple's 15-year journey in India | Tech News

From iPhone 3G to first retail store: Apple's 15-year journey in India

As Apple opens its first stores, here is a timeline of its journey in India, where the U.S. firm's contract manufacturers are increasingly making iPhones.

By:REUTERS
| Updated on: Apr 18 2023, 18:30 IST
iPhone 14: Camera, battery to display, 6 things to know if you are eyeing a Christmas buy
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1/6 In terms of design, the iPhone 14 fails to bring anything new to the table. It looks like a carbon-copy of the iPhone 13, just in a few new colors of Midnight, Starlight, Blue, Purple and Red.  (Akash/HT Tech)
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2/6 The iPhone 14 features a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display. While the screen refresh rate is set at 60Hz unlike 120Hz of the Pro models, the display is dynamic with a vivid color range and has wide viewing angles.   (Akash/HT Tech)
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3/6 The iPhone 14 gets a dual rear camera setup with a 12MP primary camera and a 12MP ultrawide camera. The primary camera has a larger sensor than the iPhone 13 and boosted by the new Photonic Engine, can take sharp images.   (Akash/HT Tech)
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4/6 One drawback of the camera is its low light performance where you see some artificial colors in the images and the sensor struggles to highlight the darker areas of the image. (Akash/HT Tech)
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5/6 The iPhone 14 gets last year’s Apple A15 Bionic chipset but a new 5-core GPU which significantly improves the graphic performance of the smartphone. Playing games on the smartphone definitely feels like a premium experience.   (Akash/HT Tech)
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6/6 The smartphone offers a decent battery life that lasts an entire day. However, charging speed is sluggish as it only offers support for 20W wired charging. The iPhone 14 is priced starting Rs. 79,900 for the 128GB variant. You can get it cheaper on ecommerce sites. (Akash/HT Tech)
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Take a look at the 15-year journey of Apple and iPhones in India (AP)

It took Apple Inc 15 years from when it first started selling its iPhone in India to having a company-run retail store in now the world's second-biggest smartphone market, one where it has faced several business challenges.

As Apple opens its first stores, here is a timeline of its journey in India, where the U.S. firm's contract manufacturers are increasingly making iPhones.

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August 2008: iPhone 3G made its debut in India minus the mass hysteria and winding queues that had marked its launch in the U.S., Europe and parts of Asia.

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January 2016: Apple files an application with India's government to set up its own stores in India.

May 2016: Apple chief Tim Cook met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi for the first time as the company looks at plotting an expansion strategy.

June 2016: India relaxes its investment rules for foreign retailers, clearing way for giants such as Apple and IKEA to set up stores in the country.

May 2017: Apple, working with contract manufacturer Wistron, started local assembly of iPhones for the first time in India at Bengaluru with its iPhone SE model.

September 2020: Apple Inc launched its first online store in India, coinciding with the country's holiday season.

October 2020: India approved incentives under a federal plan to boost domestic smartphone production to 16 companies, including top Apple suppliers.

December 2020: Contract workers at the Bengaluru factory of Apple supplier Wistron ransacked the facility after a protest against unpaid wages. The factory was put on probation by Apple before resuming production two months later.

December 2021: Protests erupted at the Tamil Nadu plant of Foxconn after more than 250 women workers who live in one of the company dormitories were treated for food poisoning. Apple later found facilities did not meet the required standards and the factory was closed for over three weeks.

December 2021: India's competition watchdog orders an investigation into Apple's in-app fee system, saying it was of the initial view that the iPhone maker had violated certain antitrust laws.

September 2022: Apple supplier Pegatron inaugurated its first plant in Tamil Nadu state to assemble iPhones.

February 2023: Apple supplier Foxlink, which manufactures iPhone chargers, halted production temporarily at its assembly facility in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh after a massive fire caused part of the building to collapse.

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First Published Date: 18 Apr, 17:50 IST
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