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India needs more Apples: Replicating Apple's model to attract top brands
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While the jury is still out on many of the production-linked incentive schemes (PLI) introduced by the Indian government, one undeniable success has been the scheme targeting smartphone production. Used largely by Apple, and to a lesser extent by Samsung, this scheme has helped India export over $24 billion worth of smartphones in FY25, up from virtually zero in FY18. Today, India is the world's third-largest smartphone exporter, after China and Vietnam. Apple now assembles about 20 per cent of all iPhones in India, and this percentage is set to keep rising. While local value addition is limited — still
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