<p><em>By Sankalp Phartiyal</em></p>.<p>Apple Inc., Samsung Electronics Co. and HP Inc. are among the biggest names freezing new imports of laptops and tablets to India after an <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/govt-imposes-import-restrictions-on-laptops-tablets-computers-to-boost-domestic-manufacturing-1243395.html">abrupt ban </a>on inbound shipments without a license.</p>.<p>Regulators on Thursday surprised the world’s biggest PC makers when they made licenses mandatory for import of electronics from small tablets to all-in-one PCs without a license. Laptop makers had been bracing for some government measures aimed at reducing reliance on imports and boosting local production, but the sudden licensing imposition caught the industry off-guard, people familiar with the matter said, declining to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue.</p>.<p>Tech firms are now engaging with New Delhi on how to most quickly obtain licenses at a period of heightened consumer interest with India’s Diwali shopping season and back-to-school period approaching, the people said. It’s unclear how long it would take for Apple et al to get licenses, but the halt is already disrupting a multibillion-dollar trade in foreign PCs at a crucial time.</p>.<p>Representatives for India’s trade ministry, Apple, Samsung and HP did not immediately respond to requests for comment.</p>.<p>The requirement creates additional headaches for manufacturers already grappling with a global glut of inventory and few triggers to restart sales growth. It could result in delayed India launches or even product shortages in a market that’s still largely reliant on shipments from overseas.</p>.<p>The import restriction, an example of India’s sudden policy shifts, adds to longstanding measures designed to discourage bringing in foreign electronics. It’s intended in part to realize longer-term ambitions to create a world-class tech manufacturing industry. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government is currently seeking applications for a 170 billion-rupee ($2.1 billion) financial incentive plan to draw makers of laptops, tablets and other hardware to the world’s most populous nation as companies look to diversify supply chains beyond China.</p>
<p><em>By Sankalp Phartiyal</em></p>.<p>Apple Inc., Samsung Electronics Co. and HP Inc. are among the biggest names freezing new imports of laptops and tablets to India after an <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/govt-imposes-import-restrictions-on-laptops-tablets-computers-to-boost-domestic-manufacturing-1243395.html">abrupt ban </a>on inbound shipments without a license.</p>.<p>Regulators on Thursday surprised the world’s biggest PC makers when they made licenses mandatory for import of electronics from small tablets to all-in-one PCs without a license. Laptop makers had been bracing for some government measures aimed at reducing reliance on imports and boosting local production, but the sudden licensing imposition caught the industry off-guard, people familiar with the matter said, declining to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue.</p>.<p>Tech firms are now engaging with New Delhi on how to most quickly obtain licenses at a period of heightened consumer interest with India’s Diwali shopping season and back-to-school period approaching, the people said. It’s unclear how long it would take for Apple et al to get licenses, but the halt is already disrupting a multibillion-dollar trade in foreign PCs at a crucial time.</p>.<p>Representatives for India’s trade ministry, Apple, Samsung and HP did not immediately respond to requests for comment.</p>.<p>The requirement creates additional headaches for manufacturers already grappling with a global glut of inventory and few triggers to restart sales growth. It could result in delayed India launches or even product shortages in a market that’s still largely reliant on shipments from overseas.</p>.<p>The import restriction, an example of India’s sudden policy shifts, adds to longstanding measures designed to discourage bringing in foreign electronics. It’s intended in part to realize longer-term ambitions to create a world-class tech manufacturing industry. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government is currently seeking applications for a 170 billion-rupee ($2.1 billion) financial incentive plan to draw makers of laptops, tablets and other hardware to the world’s most populous nation as companies look to diversify supply chains beyond China.</p>