India to become Apple's next big focus by turning it into a new sales region

Apple might soon increase its focus on India and turn it into a separate sales region. And to that end, the iPhone-maker is doing management changes to its international businesses, says a report from Bloomberg.

The country has surfaced as a big market potential for Apple in recent years, given that it has become the world's second-largest smartphone market. India, along with Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, now account for the second biggest chunk of Apple's revenue cake after the Americas region. As per Statista, the number of iPhone shipments in India has skyrocketed from 1.7 million in 2018 to around 6 million in 2022.

The news comes after the retirement of Apple-veteran Hugues Asseman, who served as the VP in charge of India, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East sales region. The report says that Ashish Chowdhary will be appointed as the head of the upcoming India sales region and he will report directly to Apple's head of product sales, Michael Fenger. However, Apple will still club India with Europe, the Middle East, and Africa when publishing the sales figures.

Not just potential buyers, Apple is also seeing India as an alternative to China when it comes to manufacturing its products including iPhone. China currently accounts for around $75 billion in revenue for the company. However, it was recently reported that Foxconn is planning to invest $700 million in a new 300-acre factory that would be built near Bengaluru City.

Furthermore, Apple recently announced a partnership with NGO Frank Water in an attempt to study and improve local water management in the country. The duo is currently running a pilot project in Anekal taluk near Bengaluru to understand how water is used in the area through techniques such as hydrological modeling.

Source: Bloomberg (Paywall)

India to become Apple's next big focus by turning it into a new sales region