Apple Inc. is going to start online sales of its devices in India within months, benefiting from new rules making the world’s fastest-growing smartphone market more attractive to foreign brands.
On Wednesday, India eased rules that forced companies such as Apple to source 30% of their production locally, a requirement the iPhone maker has been lobbying against for years to include exports as part of the requirement.
That rule posed a problem for electronics brands because most of its devices and components are manufactured in China. Also, the Indian government has asked the retailers to set up online stores before physical shops.
With escalating trade tensions damaging ties between the US and China, New Delhi’s latest investment rules could provide a boost to Apple, allowing it to grow sales in the country and possibly help it reduce its high dependence on China by building out an alternative supply chain in India.
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