India-Assembled iPhone 15 to Hit Shelves Worldwide on Launch Day: Report

For the first time ever, the latest iPhone model assembled in India will be available worldwide on the launch day, according to a report by Bloomberg that cites people familiar with the matter. Apple plans to make the India-assembled iPhone 15 available in India and some other regions on the same day it becomes available for sale worldwide.

It marks a major shift from Apple's previous strategy of selling only China-made new iPhones globally in the first few weeks after launch. That said, most iPhone 15 models will still come from China, but having an India-made version available on day one underlines India's growing importance as an iPhone production base. Apple started manufacturing the iPhone 15 at supplier Foxconn's facility in Tamil Nadu last month.

In the past, Apple only assembled a small fraction of its iPhones in India, with a delay of six to nine months compared to China production. But that gap has now narrowed to just a few weeks, and Apple has increased India's share of global iPhone production to 7% as of March.

The new iPhone 15 lineup is set to be unveiled at Apple's headquarters in Cupertino, California, later tonight. Apple increasingly views India as a fast-growing retail market and a strategic manufacturing hub to reduce its dependence on China amid trade tensions between Washington and Beijing. The company opened its online store in India two years ago and the first Apple retail stores in Mumbai and Delhi earlier this year.