Apple has warned India that its local production targets will be hit if the country follows European Union's requirement for iPhones to have USB charging ports. Currently India is on course to follow the EU's rule and is now in talks with manufacturers. While most manufacturers including Samsung have already agreed to India's plan, Apple is pushing back.

Apple has for years offered a unique lightning connector port on its iPhones. The EU, however, estimates a single charger solution would save about $271 million for consumers, and India has said the move will reduce e-waste and help users.

In a closed-door Nov. 28 meeting chaired by India's IT ministry, Apple asked officials to exempt existing iPhone models from the rules, warning it will otherwise struggle to meet production targets set under India's production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme, according to the meeting minutes seen by Reuters.

PLI is a key project of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and offers electronic manufacturers in India fiscal incentives for fresh investments and incremental phone sales each year. It has been extensively used by Apple suppliers like Foxconn to expand iPhone manufacturing in the country.

"If the regulation is implemented on earlier models of mobile phones, they (Apple) will not be able to meet the PLI targets," the minutes quoted Apple's regulatory and product compliance executives as saying while opposing the rules.

Consumers in India's price-conscious market prefer buying older models of iPhones which typically become cheaper with new launches, and India's push for the common charger on older models could hit Apple's targets, said Prabhu Ram, head of the Industry Intelligence Group at CyberMedia Research.

"Apple's fortunes in India have primarily been tied to older generation iPhones," he said.

"A natural transition period should be given ... keeping in mind the product design timelines," the minutes quoted Apple executives as telling government officials. For more read the full report.