Tim Cook tweeted. “What an incredible week in India! Thanks to our teams across the country. I can’t wait to return,”
Apple CEO Tim Cook concluded his five-day visit to India with a positive note, stating that he cannot wait to return to the country.
The visit coincided with the 25th anniversary of Apple’s presence in India, and it started with the inauguration of the first official Apple store in Mumbai on April 18, followed by another store in the national capital on April 20.
Cook appreciated the support of the company’s teams across the country, tweeting, “What an incredible week in India!”
Before the opening of the Apple store in Saket, Cook visited the mesmerizing artistic lanes of Lodhi Art District in Delhi, and expressed his admiration for the murals and public spaces.
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During his Delhi trip, Cook met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and sought government support to expand the company’s components supplier base in India.
On Day 1, Cook visited the richest Indian Mukesh Ambani’s house Antilla for a business meeting and is said to have met other top industrialists, including Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran.
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Apple aims to replicate its success in China and tap into India’s expanding middle class as a significant market and potential base for production.
Cook also met with top industrialists, including Bharti Group founder and chairman Sunil Mittal, to reaffirm their commitment to work more closely in India and Africa.
Cook’s visit also involved watching an IPL cricket match with Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor Ahuja and BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla, as he had done in his previous visit to India.
On his last day, Cook visited app developers and shared his experience of rangoli and kolam designs made of flower petals, rice, and colored sand captured on the iPhone.
Apple has been selling products in India through various channels, including exclusive Apple Premium Reseller (APR) stores, large-format retail chains, multi-brand retail stores, and e-commerce platforms.
According to government sources, the iPhone maker is likely to double the employment base at its contract manufacturers in India to around 2 lakh soon.
The company started manufacturing iPhones in India in 2017, catering to the requirements of the local market, and now exports “Made in India” iPhones.
Industry sources estimate that Apple exported iPhones worth USD 5-5.5 billion in the just-ended financial year 2022-23.
Apple has over 100 APR stores in India, and one of them was located in the Select CityWalk Mall, which had to shift to a nearby mall to pave the way for the Apple Store.
