Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook will meet India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and its deputy IT minister as a part of his go to to inaugurate the iPhone maker’s first retail retailer within the nation this week, individuals conversant in the plans stated.
The go to by Cook to open the primary official company-owned retailers in Mumbai and New Delhi this week underscores Apple’s rising ambitions for India, the place regardless of having only a 3 p.c market share the corporate has been increasing iPhone meeting through contract producers, and in addition boosting its exports.
Cook will meet Modi on Wednesday in New Delhi, stated the 2 sources, who included an Indian authorities official.
One of the sources added the Apple chief would additionally meet India’s deputy IT minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar.
Modi’s workplace declined to remark, whereas Apple and the IT ministry didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark.
The sources didn’t elaborate, however Cook’s conferences come amid Apple’s rising deal with India, the world’s second-largest smartphone market.
Around $9 billion (roughly Rs. 738 Crore) value of smartphones have been exported from India between April 2022 and February this 12 months and iPhones accounted for greater than 50 p.c of that, information from the India Cellular and Electronics Association reveals.
On Monday, Apple opened its first retailer in Mumbai, however just for a non-public occasion the place bloggers and a few tech analysts reviewed the design and retailer structure. It will open to the general public from Tuesday, whereas a second retailer will likely be inaugurated inside a New Delhi mall on Thursday.
So far, Apple has offered its merchandise in India through resellers or e-commerce web sites resembling Amazon.
The Mumbai retailer is within the premier Reliance Jio World Drive mall, house to luxurious clothes and jewelry manufacturers like Michael Kors, Kate Spade and Swarovski. It is 20,800 sq. ft, far greater than the deliberate Delhi outlet, native registration paperwork present.
In India, iPhones are assembled by three of Apple’s contract producers – Foxconn, Wistron and Pegatron Apple additionally plans to assemble iPads and AirPods in India.Â
© Thomson Reuters 2023
