印度政府证实苹果有望在该国装配生产iPhone

Apple is to start making iPhones in the southern Indian state of Karnataka, the state's government has said.

印度南部卡纳塔克邦政府日前表示，苹果公司打算在该城邦生产iPhone。

Ministers said Apple would start an initial manufacturing operation in the state, whose capital is the tech hub Bangalore, in April.

卡纳塔克邦部长声称，苹果公司将从今年4月份开始在该邦进行初始生产过程。卡纳塔克邦的首府是印度科技重镇班加罗尔。

Apple has yet to officially confirm the plan, saying only that it is keen to "invest significantly" in India.

苹果公司方面尚未正式确认这一计划，只是表示希望在印度“大举投资”。

But Priyank Kharge, minister of information technology and biotechnology in Karnataka, told the AFP news agency: "We have an understanding with Apple and we expect them to start manufacturing in Karnataka by the end of April."

不过卡纳塔克邦信息技术和生物技术部长Priyank Kharge向法新社透露：“我们对苹果公司有了一定的了解，我们期待着他们四月底在卡纳塔克邦开始生产。”

The tech giant has a 2% share of India's mobile phone market, well behind South Korean rival Samsung.

苹果公司在印度的手机市场份额为2%，要远远落后于韩国的三星公司。

Despite the low percentage of sales, Apple has almost half of the market for premium phones, which start at around $450 an item, and its sales are growing fast.

尽管在印度的手机销售份额很低，但苹果公司却占据了印度几乎高端手机（手机价格450美元以上）一半的市场，其销售增长也十分迅速。

Apple has held a series of meetings with government representatives at both state and national level and is understood to be pressing for concessions before going ahead with such a move.

苹果公司已经和卡纳塔克邦政府以及印度政府代表举行了一系列会议，印度方面认为苹果是想要在做出最终决定前索要一些让步。