Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, is scheduled to meet India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, and the country’s deputy IT minister as part of his visit to inaugurate the tech giant’s first retail store in India.
Cook’s visit to Mumbai and New Delhi to open the first official company-owned outlets in the country highlights Apple’s growing interest in India, despite only having a 3 per cent market share.
The company has been expanding iPhone assembly through contract manufacturers and increasing its exports. Cook will meet Modi on Wednesday in New Delhi, and he is also expected to meet India’s deputy IT minister, Rajeev Chandrasekhar.
Apple and the IT ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment, while Modi’s office declined to comment. Cook’s meetings with Indian officials come as Apple focuses more on India, which is the world’s second-largest smartphone market.
According to data from the India Cellular and Electronics Association, iPhones accounted for more than 50 per cent of the $9 billion worth of smartphones exported from India between April 2022 and February 2023.
On Monday, Apple opened its first store in Mumbai, but only for a private event where bloggers and tech analysts reviewed the store layout and design. The Mumbai store is located in the Reliance Jio World Drive mall, which is home to luxury clothing and jewellery brands like Michael Kors, Kate Spade, and Swarovski. It is 20,800 square feet, far larger than the planned Delhi outlet, according to local registration documents.
Apple has sold its products in India through resellers or e-commerce websites such as Amazon. The Mumbai store will open to the public from Tuesday, while a second store will be inaugurated inside a New Delhi mall on Thursday.
In India, iPhones are assembled by three of Apple’s contract manufacturers – Foxconn, Wistron Corp, and Pegatron Corp. Apple plans to assemble iPads and AirPods in India as well.
