Mumbai: The highly anticipated launch of Apple's first flagship store in India on Tuesday highlights the tech giant's retail push in the second-largest smartphone market in the world.
In the midst of raucous applause and a festive atmosphere, CEO Tim Cook was spotted posing for pictures with fans after opening the company's first retail location in Mumbai, the financial hub of India.
Outside the enormous 20,000-square-foot store, some Apple enthusiasts had been waiting since the previous evening. Mumbai has incredible passion, energy, and creativity! Cook wrote in a tweet, "We are so thrilled to open Apple BKC, our first store in India.
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Apple sells its products in the South Asian market through authorised retailers and the online store it launched in 2020, claiming to have been in business in India for more than 25 years.
After delays brought on by legal challenges and the pandemic, the company finally opened its first retail location in the nation on Tuesday. A second store will open in New Delhi the following day.
The company released a statement saying, "The company is marking a major expansion with the opening of its first Apple Store locations in the country."
A dedicated solar array enables the Mumbai location of Apple to be operationally carbon neutral, making it one of its "most energy-efficient" locations worldwide, according to Apple.
Apple devotees from all over the country flocked to the opening in anticipation of seeing the first official store in India. I am happy that an Apple store has opened here because I have been waiting a long time to see one', Rishi, a photographer based in Mumbai.
I adore the iPhone cameras because they capture beautiful details in the pictures. Entrepreneur Sagar Sharma, who is also based in the city, felt an emotional connection to the brand.
My grandfather's life was saved by Apple Watch. The watch detected and warned us that he was having a heart attack, allowing us to hurriedly take him to the hospital.
I didn't want to pass up experiencing the thrill of seeing an Apple store. After initially producing its iPhone SE from India in 2017, Apple has since assembled a number of iPhone models there. The business revealed in September that it would begin producing the iPhone 14 in India.
Since Android-powered smartphones dominate the market in India, where Apple only has an estimated 4% market share, the opening of new retail locations reflects Apple's growing commitment to the country.
According to projections by Indian technology research firm CyberMedia Research, Apple is predicted to increase its market share in India by 6 percent in the fiscal year 2023–2024, which would result in the sale of more than 8 million iPhones.
The opening of Apple's flagship stores benefits from the double-digit growth of the premium smartphone market in India and the transformation of the Indian consumer from one who is cost-conscious to one who is value-conscious. Prabhu Ram, director of CMR's industry intelligence division
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"The new Apple retail stores will further fuel Apple's growth momentum in the upcoming year. This growth will be supported by aggressive sales initiatives and increased domestic manufacturing.
