Apple’s slow march towards manufacturing in India has hit another roadblock in the form of the country’s labeling laws. The government currently requires smartphones to be printed with certain product details on the body itself.
Apple naturally wouldn’t want anything getting in the way of its iPhone’s minimalist design. The company has apparently asked the administration to relax their labeling rules. An official source told the Economic Times that the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) had forwarded the firm’s request to the Department of Revenue and Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeITY).
Instead of taking up valuable real estate on the iPhone itself, Apple is hoping the required details can be displayed on the packaging or within the software. The report claims that the brand is also seeking tax incentives from the government to kickstart iPhone manufacturing in India. Its proposal is being considered by the finance ministry.
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A separate PTI report corroborates this piece of information. Officials from the departments of electronics and information technology, industrial policy and promotion (DIPP), environment and forest, commerce, and industrial policy and promotion (DIPP) are supposedly coming together in the first week of January to discuss Apple’s request.
However, things look grim for Apple since government sources are reportedly saying that it should set up a manufacturing unit in India without for asking extra support. The common view is that there are already several companies producing handsets in the country without any additional inducements and the administration is already providing sufficient support.