How Apple is becoming new hope for India !

         

  'India has big potential to become a economic superpower in future'. We have heard this for decades. Yes, we are the fastest-growing major economy, yet our per capita GDP ($2800) is a fraction of U.S.($88000) or even China ($14000). But, forget the U.S. they industrialized a century before us. The real shock is China, whose GDP was neck-and-neck with India's until 1990. Today? It's 5 times larger.

          But, how the difference got so bigger? India too have grow 6-7% per year! Answer is 'Manufacturing'. 

While China's export-driven economy was growing at 10-12% annually in the 2000s through manufacturing dominance, India's policymakers remained blind to this economic truth. The numbers speak for themselves, between 2000-2010 China constantly sustained GDP growth above 10% (peaking 14.2% in 2007), Their export skyrocketed from $250 billion in 2000 to $3.5 trillion in 2024 and at that time 100M+ factory jobs created and lifted people out of poverty. 

China’s Playbook: Factories First, Politics Later

• Land & Incentives: China handed factories cheap land, tax breaks, and ruthless efficiency (e.g., Foxconn’s iPhone cities rose in months).
• Labor & Scale: Migrant workers fueled assembly lines, making China the "world’s factory" by the 2000s.
• Politics Took a Backseat: No protests over "land encroachment"—just cranes, jobs, and GDP growth.

Meanwhile, India’s industrialists were vilified as "exploiters", not nation-builders. Remember Tata’s Singur plant? Stalled in 2008 over political protests, it became a symbol of India’s self-sabotage. West Bengal lost 10,000+ jobs.

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the 'Make in India' campaign in 2014, it was the first leap towards the manufacturing. Critics dismissed it as another slogan—until India landed its biggest catch yet: Apple Inc.

Why Apple’s Entry is a Game-Changer

Electronics manufacturing is a sunrise sector, and securing a titan like Apple in its early stages is transformative. While Apple chose India to diversify from China, this partnership demands more than luck. To lock in long-term gains, India must reforms policy (Flexible shifts, no disruptive union politics), faster approvals of land acquisition, ready-built factories, 24/7 Power, Tax benefits, Trade deals with EU/US to boost exports. Over the years China has built supplier ecosystems which India doesn't have, now importing 60% of component for Apple only from China. It is very important to incentivize local firm to produce components like batteries, displays, chips locally.

Yes, India is still a dwarf in electronics supply chains (just 3% of global output vs. China’s 30%). But the tide is turning. India has exported $14 billion in 2023 (up from $1 billion in 2021) and Tata becomes India's first homegrown supplier after takeover of Wistron and Pegatron's plant.

The Road Ahead

The government’s active push (PLI schemes, semiconductor missions) shows commitment. Now, bureaucrats must think like CEOs—speed over red tape. If India delivers, Apple’s $40B+ production target by 2025 isn’t just about iPhones—it’s about creating a manufacturing culture. If India fixes bottlenecks, Apple’s success could lure Tesla, Samsung, and Boeing, turning Modi’s "Make in India" from a slogan into a global supply chain reality.