For Apple users in India, getting their iPhones and MacBooks serviced just became a bit more homegrown. Several reports and our own sources indicate that the Cupertino-headquartered tech titan has designated the Tata Group to manage after-sales repairs for its devices across the country.
This development is unsurprising, given that the Indian conglomerate is already a major collaborator for Apple. Tata already plays a critical role in assembling iPhones for both the Indian market and for international export at three facilities in southern India, one of which also manufactures specific iPhone components.
This latest development involves Tata assuming the repair mandate previously held by ICT Service Management Solutions, a subsidiary of Taiwan’s Wistron. The repair work for Apple devices is slated to occur at Tata’s established iPhone assembly campus in Karnataka. While Apple maintains authorized service centers across India for routine repairs, more intricate technical issues affecting iPhones and MacBooks will now be channeled to Tata’s facility for diagnosis and resolution. Wistron’s ICT unit, for now, will continue to provide services to its clients other than Apple. The transfer of these repair operations from ICT to Tata is presently in progress. Neither Apple nor Wistron offered public comments regarding this arrangement, and a representative for Tata declined to comment.
The expansion of Tata’s role in repairs comes at a time when the device repair sector in India is expected to grow in the near future. As the world’s second-largest smartphone market, India has seen an increase in iPhone sales. Data compiled by Counterpoint Research indicates that approximately 11 million iPhones were sold in India during 2023. This sales volume boosted Apple’s market share in the country to 7%, a considerable jump from just 1% in 2020. Analysts suggest that this collaboration with Tata could also lay the groundwork for Apple to directly offer refurbished devices in the Indian market (though this is just speculation at this point).
Beyond manufacturing and service, Apple is also expanding its retail presence in India. The company has announced plans to establish four additional Apple Stores across the country, which would bring the total number of official Apple retail outlets in India to six. Currently, two Apple Stores operate in India: Apple BKC in Mumbai and Apple Saket in Delhi. The new retail locations are slated for Bengaluru, Mumbai, Pune, and the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR). All of this comes even as India has risen in prominence as a key manufacturing hub for Apple. The reasons for this is obvious, including governmental support through initiatives like the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, which offers financial incentives for domestic manufacturing. Furthermore, India provides a competitive cost structure for labor and operations, which is attractive for large-scale production. Beyond these advantages, India also represents a colossal and rapidly expanding consumer market.
