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> Apple was expected to receive an exemption from the rule, earning a recommendation from country's Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, but the minis
by justinlardinois 10y ago
> Apple was expected to receive an exemption from the rule, earning a recommendation from country's Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, but the ministry of finance has decided Apple's products do not fall into the cutting-edge technology category. A source told Reuters Apple did not provide enough material to justify the exemption.
So did Apple just submit a crappy application? Or is the ministry not following the spirit of the law?
I won't pretend for a moment that I know anything about Indian law though, so I have no idea who's to blame here.
- fleitz 10y agoIndia is heavily invested in protectionism, that's the primary issue, the exemption is in place because it was clear no one was going to make smart phones there.
- 9mit3t2m9h9a 10y agoWell, given Micromax exists and has manufacturing (and HQ) in India, now Indian government can say that smartphones are not cutting-edge high-tech per se.
- umanwizard 10y agoJust like Apple in China, I'm betting all Micromax does in India is assemble phones from high-tech subparts that were made in Korea, Taiwan, and the United States. Not sure whether this is relevant because I'm not sure exactly what counts towards the "30%" figure.
- sandGorgon 10y agoOnePlus manufactures in India. http://wap.business-standard.com/article/companies/oneplus-partners-foxconn-to-start-manufacturing-in-india-116031401012_1.html http://wap.business-standard.com/article/companies/oneplus-p...
- choward 10y agoI'm going with bribery. Some Indian officials just made a good chunk of change.
- alistairSH 10y agoHow do Apple's products qualify as "cutting-edge technology"? Or, phrased differently, would Samsung also qualify? HTC? LG? What differentiates "cutting-edge" from "just another widget" in the consumer electronics sector?
- jordanb 10y agoI assume the law is for products that can not be produced at all in India. There is nothing Apple does in China that it can't do in India. All the really high tech components come from Korea, Taiwan, etc. Free trade aside this is a smart move for India: Apple has saturated the markets in the west and needs Asian consumers for future growth. It's been shut out of China despite being based there from a production standpoint. If India can force Apple to shift production to India in exchange for access to its consumers that would be a great coup.
- wodenokoto 10y agoShut out of China? How so? It's been a few years since last I was in China, but I remember visiting several Apple flagship stores and seeing iPads and iPhones everywhere on the street.
- davmre 10y agoNot shut out completely, but the government is pushing back: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/22/technology/apple-no-longer-immune-to-chinas-scrutiny-of-us-tech-firms.html http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/22/technology/apple-no-longer...
- yorwba 10y agoDiscussed at https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11549697 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11549697
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