Previously, India has given Chinese smartphone marker Oppo approval to open its own branded retail stores in the country. Now Apple is seeking for the same benefits, along with a few other things.
The Indian government is considering exemptions that Apple has requested in regards to setting up a unit to assemble iPhones in the country, said Ramesh Abhishek on Thursday, a top bureaucrat in the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion.
The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion is part of India’s commerce and industry ministry. Apple has asked the Indian government for a range of tax and policy changes to help build out its iPhone assembly in the country.
Apple is seeking to open retail stores in India where it’s selling iPhones through resellers. This of course will bring more competition to the resellers since Apple will be able to sell iPhones through its own retail stores. These are some things the Indian government is keeping in mind before it approves the requests from Apple.