Bullish on India, Tim Cook to unveil first Apple stores in Mumbai, Delhi next week

As Apple firms up its plans to put India on its global manufacturing and retail map, the company's CEO Tim Cook will be in India next week to inaugurate Apple's first own brick-and-mortar stores in Mumbai and Delhi.

Cook is scheduled to inaugurate Apple's own branded retail stores in India, at Jio World Drive Mall, BKC in Mumbai and at Select CityWalk mall in Saket, Delhi. These will be the first for the tech giant which has doubled down on its India growth plans.

Apple set another all-time revenue record for the India market in the quarter that ended December 31, 2022.

In the analysts' call after posting its quarterly results, Cook said, "India is a hugely exciting market for us and a major focus. We brought the online store there in 2020. We will soon bring Apple Retail there. I'm very bullish on India."

According to the India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA), Apple's 'Make in India' smartphone now constitutes 50 per cent of the country's total exports.

Reports surfaced earlier this year that Cook-led Apple will soon shift some of its China manufacturing to India and Vietnam in the next 2-3 years. India is likely to produce 45–50 per cent of Apple's iPhones by 2027, at par with China, where 80-85 per cent of iPhones were produced in 2022, according to estimates. India accounted for 10-15 per cent of Apple's overall iPhone production capacity at the end of 2022.

Apple became the first smartphone player in India to have exported $1 billion worth of iPhones in the month of December. It currently manufactures iPhones 12, 13, 14 and 14 Plus in the country.

At present, the company sells its products in India through exclusive Apple Premium Reseller (APR) stores, large format retail chains like Reliance Digital, Croma etc, multi-brand retail stores and various e-commerce platforms.

Apple's own physical stores, magnificently designed to curate an "experience", have left an indelible impression on millions worldwide.

As Apple gears up to throw open the gates of its first branded retail store in India next week, the nation's users have expressed their excitement at finally being able to access that experience in their own country.

For millions of Indians, visiting an Apple Store in the country will be a thrill; and for those Apple fans with a yearning to be "delighted" at Apple Stores at world-famous tourist spots, India is now on their most-wanted map.

With inputs from agencies