Apple Opens Its First Store In India

The exterior presence of Apple’s first official store in India has been unveiled in Mumbai, a landmark for the company that has been attempting to expand its presence in one of the world’s fastest-growing smartphone markets. The business had only used resellers as its brick-and-mortar retail presence up until this point.

The store, which is situated in Mumbai’s Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC), will shortly welcome customers. The company said, “The Apple BKC creative was inspired by the iconic Kaali Peeli taxi art unique to Mumbai and includes colorful interpretations of the decals combined with many Apple products and services that will be available for our customers to discover”.

The most recent iPhone 14 versions, MacBooks, iPads, AirPods, Apple Watches, Apple TVs, and HomePods will all be available, along with a variety of other goods and services. Additionally, customers will have access to Apple’s illustrious trade-in programme.

After years of overcoming legal obstacles and negotiating with the Indian government, the Apple Store has finally opened in India. Apple was required to adhere to local sourcing standards, which mandate that international businesses obtain at least 30% of their components from domestic suppliers. Other smartphone manufacturers with a bigger market share and more affordable rates in India were also a threat to Apple.

In 2022, Apple held a 4% market share of Indian smartphones, trailing Samsung, Xiaomi, Vivo, and Oppo, according to Counterpoint Research. Apple’s shipments, on the other hand, increased by 35% year over year, led by strong sales of the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 models.

The opening of the Apple Store is anticipated by analysts to improve Apple’s reputation and consumer loyalty in India as well as draw more developers and creators into its ecosystem.