Apple BKC Store Opens: Key Highlights From The Event Inaugurated By CEO Tim Cook
Catch all the live updates on Apple's launch of first store in India.
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
First Look From Apple BKC Store
Local customers got a feel of an official Apple store after the tech giant opened its first outlet in India at JioWorldDrive in Mumbai's Bandra-Kurla Complex.
“The energy, creativity, and passion in Mumbai is incredible,” Tim Cook said in a tweet. “We are so excited to open Apple BKC—our first store in India.”
Here's the first look from inside the outlet:
Apple BKC Is Now Open
Apple Inc. has officially opened its first store in India at the Bandra-Kurla Complex in Mumbai. The doors were thrown open to thronging crowds by CEO Tim Cook himself and Deirdre O’Brien, senior vice president (retail and people) at the Cupertino, California-based company.
Queue Outside Apple's Mumbai Store Ahead Of Launch
People started queuing up outside Apple Inc.'s first India store at JioWorldDrive in Mumbai's Bandra Kurla Complex, hours before Tim Cook, chief executive at the iPhone maker, was scheduled to inaugurate the outlet.
Cook has flown in to throw open two stores in India--the second one will be launched in Delhi's Saket on April 200--underscoring the importance of the market for Apple.
Vada Pav To Antilia, Cook's Day Out
On Monday, Cook made an appearance at the Apple store at BKC.
Cook, the CEO of the world's most-valued company, also visited the residence of Mukesh Ambani, chairperson of Reliance Industries Ltd. Ambani scion Akash Ambani came to see off Cook as he left Antilia.
Wrapping up his day's meetings, Cook rendezvoused with Bollywood actor Madhuri Dixit Nene. The duo sat down for Mumbai's popular snack, Vada Pav, which the Apple CEO tasted for the first time.
Why India Matters
India has become China-plus one market for Apple to produce iPhones. The U.S. company now makes almost 7% of its iPhones in India through partners including Foxconn Technology Group to Pegatron Corp., according to a Bloomberg report. This compares with 1% in 2021. Apple is using its learnings in China to scale up its operations in India.
The company has assembled more than $7 billion of iPhones in India last fiscal year, tripling production in the world’s fastest-growing smartphone market.
