New Delhi, Aug. 9 -- Apple's iPhone manufacturing in India, which began as a small-scale pilot, has now become a central pillar of its global strategy.

The journey started in 2017 following a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and CEO Tim Cook, evolving into a network of training centres, dormitories, and factories in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

The urgency intensified in 2025 after the U.S. imposed a 20% tariff on iPhones made in China but exempted those assembled in India.

In the April-June quarter this year, Tim Cook said most iPhones sold in the U.S. were produced in India-a sign of the country's rising importance in Apple's supply chain.

The state has bolstered incentives with infrastructure upgrades, manufacturing subsid...