Tim Cook joins the opening of Apple’s first retail store in Mumbai India
Apple CEO Tim Cook has opened Apple’s first retail store in Mumbai, the financial capital of India. He is also reported to attend the opening of a second store in Delhi on Thursday.
Videos show Tim waving to customers and opening the doors as employees cheer and clap. He also greeted customers who visited the store and posed for selfies with them. According to reports, people from across India attended the opening event featuring local music and folk dance.
The energy, creativity, and passion in Mumbai is incredible! We are so excited to open Apple BKC — our first store in India. pic.twitter.com/talx2ZQEMl
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) April 18, 2023
Black-and-yellow taxis, ubiquitous throughout Mumbai, inspired the design of the Mumbai store located in an upscale neighborhood.
Online or through a vast network of resellers, Apple products have been available in India until now.
Apple is expanding its retail presence in India, the world’s second-largest smartphone market, with the opening of these new stores. Over 95% of smartphones run on Google’s Android operating system in the price-sensitive Indian market, where the iPhone is still an aspirational product.
The iPhone is also being manufactured in India as Apple diversifies its supply chains away from China. India now accounts for 5% of the total iPhone production
However, experts say Apple’s Indian sales won’t be impacted immediately by the stores, which is an important branding strategy.
There have also been some who argue that it’s a good time for Apple to invest in Indian mobiles costing 40,000 rupees (PHP 27,000) or more, which are known as “premium smartphones.”
Technology analyst Navkendar Singh told the BBC, “When you launch an Apple store you’re basically giving a premium experience to your premium consumers. It might not pull up sales but it definitely pulls more people into the Apple ecosystem.”
The Covid-19 pandemic derailed Apple’s original plans for opening physical stores in India in 2021. He last visited India in 2016 when Apple was just scaling up operations there. This is Tim’s first trip to India in seven years.
A popular Indian snack, vada pav, was the subject of a selfie he posted on Monday with Bollywood actress Madhuri Dixit.
As part of his visit, Tim is also expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Deputy IT Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar, although the Prime Minister’s office has not confirmed this.
