Tag: tim cook

Apple CEO Tim Cook Talks About India in Q2 Earnings Call, Says It’s an ‘Incredibly Exciting Market’

Apple CEO Tim Cook made several call-outs to India during the company’s quarterly earning calls, specifically highlighting the country as an exciting market and an opportunity for it to expand further. The Cupertino-based tech giant has been heavily investing in India in recent years. Cook also revealed that the company made a quarterly revenue record in the country in March, posting strong double-digit growth numbers. Separately, he also hinted at Apple’s expansion plans to further solidify its position in the Indian market.

Tim Cook’s comments came in a shareholder’s call to discuss the company’s performance in the second fiscal quarter of the financial year (in the US, the fiscal year begins on October 1 and ends on September 30). While the overall revenue of Apple has reportedly taken a dip of 4 percent YoY, it has continued to post strong numbers in India and several other regional markets. Speaking about the development, Cook said, “We were very, very pleased about it”.

“As you know, as I’ve said before, I see it [India] as an incredibly exciting market and it’s a major focus for us. In terms of the operational side or supply chain side, we are producing there, from a pragmatic point of view, you need to produce there to be competitive,” he added.

Notably, Apple started contract manufacturing in India in 2017, but these were only entry-level and legacy devices. In 2021-22, the tech giant began production of iPhone 14 units in India via Foxconn’s Tamil Nadu plant. According to a report by Bloomberg, India’s production output grew massively with the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus units, and it assembled about 14 percent of the company’s total manufactured units, or about one in every seven iPhone units.

Addressing this, the Apple CEO said, “We have both operational things going on [in India] and we have go-to-market, and other initiatives going on. We just opened a couple of stores last year, and we see enormous opportunity there.” Cook also confirmed that the company is working on building a developer ecosystem in the country and claims it is already growing rapidly. “We’re working on all of the entire ecosystem from developer to the market to operations, the whole thing. And I just — I could not be more excited and enthusiastic about it.”

India was also mentioned by the CEO during his announcement about Apple’s sustainability approach. He said the company was working with its partners in the country to replenish 100 percent of the water used in the production process, saving billions of gallons of water over the next two decades.

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Apple CEO Tim Cook Hints at “Some Very Exciting” Generative AI Announcements Soon

Apple might reveal its artificial intelligence (AI) plans earlier than expected. It was believed that the Cupertino-based tech giant would unveil the AI features it is building during its Worldwide Developers Conference scheduled for June 10. However, CEO Tim Cook has now said that information about generative AI may be shared with users soon, as per a report. With Apple’s Let Loose event coming up on May 7, there is a slim possibility that the company will hint at the features it will be introducing later this year.

According to a report by CRN, Cook made the statements at the company’s quarterly earnings call. Apple has reportedly suffered a revenue decline of 4 percent year-on-year to bring it to $90.8 billion (roughly Rs. 7.5 lakhs crores). Addressing the stakeholders at the beginning of the call, Cook said, “We continue to feel very bullish about our opportunity in generative AI we are making significant investments, and we’re looking forward to sharing some very exciting things with our customers soon.”

The announcement highlights the iPhone maker’s intentions to go big on the AI trend. The Apple CEO also highlighted that the company’s innovation with its processors and neural engines gave it a strategic advantage over its rivals in integrating the technology into the devices. He also reportedly spoke about the “unwavering focus on privacy” hinting that the AI features will likely be powered on-device.

In the last few months, Apple’s AI ambitions have made headlines multiple times. The company has acquired at least two different companies, Darwin AI and Datakalab, working in the AI space. Apart from that, researchers employed by the tech giant have also published several papers on AI models with computer vision, on-device operations, and multimodal capabilities.

Earlier reports have also suggested some of the AI-powered features users might see later this year. The Safari browser is expected to play a key role, as it is rumoured to get an ‘Intelligent Search’ feature that will summarise articles and web pages opened. Another AI-powered web eraser feature has also surfaced that can delete banner ads and other elements in a web page based on users’ preferences. These features are expected to be showcased at WWDC 24 when Apple unveils iOS 18 and macOS 15.

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Apple to Reveal Generative AI Plans Later This Year, CEO Tim Cook Says

Apple plans to disclose more about its plans to put generative artificial intelligence to use later this year, Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook said during the company’s annual shareholder meeting on Wednesday.

Cook said that the iPhone maker sees “incredible breakthrough potential for generative AI, which is why we’re currently investing significantly in this area. We believe that will unlock transformative opportunities for users when it comes to productivity, problem solving and more.”

Apple has been slower in rolling out generative AI, which can generate human-like responses to written prompts, than rivals such as Microsoft and Alphabet’s Google, which are weaving them into products.

On Wednesday, Cook argued that AI is already at work behind the scenes in Apple’s products but said there would be more news on explicit AI features later this year. Bloomberg previously reported Apple plans to use AI to improve the ability to search through data stored on Apple devices.

“Every Mac that is powered by Apple silicon is an extraordinarily capable AI machine. In fact, there’s no better computer for AI on the market today,” Cook said.

Apple shareholders on Wednesday rejected a measure asking the company to disclose more information about how it uses artificial intelligence in its business and its ethical guidelines for the technology.

The proposal, which did not pass but won 37.5 percent of votes cast, was put forth by the pension trust of the AFL-CIO, the largest American labor union federation, which has also proposed AI measures at other technology companies.

Compared to other leading technology companies, Apple has been behind the curve on disclosing ethical guidelines regarding the use of artificial intelligence,” Brandon Rees, deputy director for corporations and capital markets with the AFL-CIO, said in statement. “We hope that Apple will enhance its disclosure practices on this important issue to investors and other stakeholders.”

A similar proposal will be heard at Walt Disney’s annual meeting in April.

At Apple, the AFL-CIO asked for a report on the company’s use of AI “in its business operations and disclose any ethical guidelines that the company has adopted regarding the company’s use of AI technology.”

In its supporting statement in Apple’s proxy materials, the AFL-CIO wrote that “AI systems should not be trained on copyrighted works, or the voices, likenesses and performances of professional performers, without transparency, consent and compensation to creators and rights holders.”

Apple opposed the measure, saying that disclosures could tip its hand on strategy as it competes against rivals in the fast-moving AI field.

© Thomson Reuters 2024

Apple unveiled its first mixed reality headset, the Apple Vision Pro, at its annual developer conference, along with new Mac models and upcoming software updates. We discuss all the most important announcements made by the company at WWDC 2023 on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
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Apple CEO Tim Cook Reveals Generative AI Features Will Be Unveiled ‘Later This Year’, Mentions India too

Apple could soon bring generative artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities to its devices, revealed CEO Tim Cook during the company’s quarterly earning calls. While speaking about the Cupertino-based tech giant’s achievements in the last quarter, Cook mentioned that it has been spending a “tremendous amount of time and effort” on AI. Without disclosing any details, he also hinted that these features could be released later this year. If Apple does step into the generative AI space, it will be competing with the likes of Microsoft, Google, and OpenAI.

During the call, Cook alluded to AI multiple times and specifically mentioned generative AI once. Presenting his prepared remarks, the Apple CEO said, “ As we look ahead, we will continue to invest in these and other technologies that will shape the future. That includes artificial intelligence, where we continue to spend a tremendous amount of time and effort, and we’re excited to share the details of our ongoing work in that space later this year.”

Apple’s generative AI plan

Despite name-dropping the emerging technology, Cook never revealed any information on exactly what Apple was working on or which devices were likely to receive AI features. While answering an analyst’s question regarding any thoughts on the potential upcoming announcements on AI, Cook said, “In terms of generative AI, which I would guess is your focus, we have a lot of work going on internally as I’ve alluded to before. Our M.O., if you will, has always been to do work and then talk about work and not to get out in front of ourselves, and so we’re going to hold that to this as well. But we’ve got some things that we’re incredibly excited about that we’ll be talking about later this year.”

Cook may not have revealed a lot, but rumours about Apple entering the generative AI space have been surfacing for a while. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman recently reported that Apple’s iOS 18 update, which is expected to arrive with the launch of the iPhone 16 series in September-October, could be one of the biggest in Apple’s history. Cook’s statements align with the same.

While there is no way to know how Apple may innovate with generative AI, some have speculated that one of its main impacts will be seen in Siri, which might be able to handle more complex verbal commands and tasks. Other possible features remain unknown at this time.

Apart from AI, another highlight during Apple’s earnings call was the mention of India. The country made an appearance during the prepared remarks of both the Apple CEO and Luca Maestri, the Chief financial officer of Apple. Both of them mentioned India highlighting Apple’s quarterly records in the country. Notably, the iPhone maker surpassed the ten million mark in revenue for the first time in a calendar year in India, leading the category, as per a Counterpoint report.

In particular, Maestri mentioned India-based software giant Zoho, highlighting the iPhone’s enterprise growth. He said, “In emerging markets, Zoho, a leading technology company headquartered in India, offers its 15,000-plus global employees a choice of devices, with 80 percent of their workforce using iPhone for work and nearly two-thirds of them choosing Mac as their primary computer.”

Further, responding to an analyst’s question, Cook referenced that India grew in revenue terms for Apple with strong double digits in the previous quarter, setting a new revenue record in the region.

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iPhone Sales Declined in Q2 2023 as Services Revenue Saw Record Growth With 1 Billion Subscriptions

Apple on Thursday forecast that a sales slump would continue into the current quarter, sending shares down despite beating Wall Street sales and profit targets in the fiscal third quarter.

Apple shares dropped about 2 percent after the company predicted what could be the fourth quarter in a row of declining sales. For the just-ended period, strength in services drove the profit beat, but weaker-than-expected sales of Apple’s most famous device, the iPhone, underwhelmed investors. Executives said iPhone sales would improve in the fourth quarter, but did not say how much.

Apple is in a delicate position, with its entrenched iPhone battling for share against Android rivals in a mature market, while its next big product – the Vision Pro mixed-reality headset announced in June – is not yet in the hands of consumers.

Apple said sales for the fiscal third quarter ended July 1 fell 1.4 percent to $81.8 billion (roughly Rs. 6,77,034 crore) and earnings per share rose 5 percent to $1.26 (roughly Rs. 104). That topped analyst expectations of $81.69 billion (roughly Rs. 6,72,568 crore) and $1.19 (roughly Rs. 98) per share, according to IBES data from Refinitiv. Weaker iPhone sales were balanced by strong sales in the services segment that contains Apple TV+ and by sales in China that grew 8 percent year over year.

Apple Chief Financial Officer Luca Maestri said the company expects a year-over-year revenue performance in the company’s fiscal fourth quarter ending in September similar to the drop the company reported on Thursday. That sales forecast is below analyst expectations of roughly flat fiscal fourth-quarter sales of $90.19 billion (roughly Rs. 7,46,412 crore), according to Refinitiv data.

“There is a real concern about when volume picks up and what the horizon is for iPhone sales growth,” said Daniel Newman, chief executive and principal analyst at research firm Futurum Group.

Apple pegged the gross profit margin in the September quarter at 44 percent to 45 percent, above analyst expectations of 43.4 percent, according to Refinitiv data. While Apple expects growth in its service segment that contains Apple TV+, iPad and Mac sales will fall by “double digits,” Maestri said on the call.

Apple’s research and development spending also hit $22.61 billion (roughly Rs. 1,87,131 crore) for the fiscal year so far, about $3.12 billion (roughly Rs. 25,822 crore) higher than at this point in the previous year.

Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook told Reuters in an interview that the increased R&D spending was in part driven by work on generative artificial intelligence, the same field that is driving spending at other big technology companies.

“We’ve been doing research across a wide range of AI technologies, including generative AI, for years. We’re going to continue investing and innovating and responsibly advancing our products with these technologies to help enrich people’s lives,” Cook said. “Obviously, we’re investing a lot, and it is showing up in the R&D spending that you’re looking at.”

CHINA STRENGTH

In the meantime, Apple appeared to outperform what has been the weakest smartphone market in China in almost a decade. Overall smartphone sales declined 8 percent in China in the calendar second quarter to their lowest levels since 2014, according to Counterpoint Research. By contrast, Cook told Reuters that Apple’s iPhone sales in China grew by “double digits” and that sales were also high in other segments in China.

That helped Apple push sales in its greater China region to $15.76 billion (roughly Rs. 1,30,436 crore), from $14.60 billion (roughly Rs. 1,20,835 crore) in last year’s same quarter.

“This was really done by attracting a quarterly record of switchers to the iPhone, as well as having a strong upgrader activity,” Cook said. “We also set quarterly records in China for both wearables, home and accessories and services.”

Apple said iPhone sales were $39.67 billion (roughly Rs. 3,28,328 crore), below analyst expectations of $39.91 billion (roughly Rs. 3,30,295 crore), according to Refinitiv data. Cook said the installed base of iPhones hit a new high but gave no numbers.

“The company continues to face headwinds caused by waning growth in the smartphone market,” said Insider Intelligence analyst Jeremy Goldman. “All eyes are now on its earnings call for any potential Vision Pro or AI-related announcements that could further push the boundaries of their business model.”

Apple’s services segment, which includes its Apple TV+ service which has announced a deal to carry Major League Soccer, had $21.21 billion (roughly Rs. 1,75,544 crore) in revenue, compared with analyst estimates of $20.76 billion (roughly Rs. 1,71,814 crore), according to Refinitiv data.

Cook said Apple now has 1 billion subscribers on its platform, which includes both Apple services and third-party apps, up from 975 million a quarter ago.

The company’s wearables business, which includes the Apple Watch and AirPods, had revenue of $8.28 billion (roughly Rs. 68,529 crore), compared with analyst estimates of $8.39 billion (roughly Rs. 69,439 crore), according to Refinitiv data.

Mac and iPad sales were $6.84 billion (roughly Rs. 56,611 crore) and $5.79 billion (roughly Rs. 47,918 crore), respectively, compared with analyst estimates of $6.62 billion (roughly Rs. 54,791 crore) and $6.41 billion (roughly Rs. 53,049 crore), according to Refinitiv data.

“Almost half of the Mac buyers during the quarter were new to the product, and we continue to see strong upgrader activity to Apple Silicon,” Cook told Reuters. 

© Thomson Reuters 2023  

Apple unveiled its first mixed reality headset, the Apple Vision Pro, at its annual developer conference, along with new Mac models and upcoming software updates. We discuss all the most important announcements made by the company at WWDC 2023 on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
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‘India Is at a Tipping Point,’ Says CEO Tim Cook as Apple Stakes Future Growth on Emerging Markets

When Apple surprised investors this week with a rise in iPhone sales despite a slump in the global smartphone market, Chief Executive Tim Cook credited emerging markets like India where the company is luring away Android phone users.

Cook is betting that those markets will provide more opportunities for growth, with their youthful populations and relatively few iPhones.

Apple said iPhone sales rose 1.5 percent to $51.3 billion (roughly Rs. 4,19,100 crore) for its fiscal second quarter even as global smartphone shipments fell 13 percent in January to March, according to research firm Canalys, whose data showed Apple gained market share from Android phones.

Apple said it set sales records in several countries across South Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.

“We’re putting efforts in a number of these markets and really see, particularly given our low share and the dynamics of the demographics, a great opportunity for us in those markets,” Cook told investors during a conference call.

India is perhaps Apple’s biggest focus. The company recently opened its first two retail stores there, in Mumbai and Delhi, and while Apple does not disclose revenue for the country, Cook told investors that it set a quarterly record and percentage growth was in very strong double digits year-over-year.

“There are a lot of people coming into the middle class, and I really feel that India is at a tipping point, and it’s great to be there,” Cook said on the conference call.

Apple was the second biggest revenue generating brand in India in 2022, second only to Samsung as it gained 18 percent of the total value of smartphone shipments, according to research firm Counterpoint.

For Apple, selling an iPhone in an emerging market represents more than just the sale of one device – it represents the chance to get consumers hooked on Apple devices and services over time. Customers who start with an iPhone might later add an Apple Watch or AirPods or sign up for subscription services.

Cook said he saw opportunities for Apple in India in services but said that average revenue per user – a metric known as ARPU in the subscription business – would take time to catch up to Apple’s other markets.

Used iPhone boom

Part of the reason that Apple has been able to gain market share in both emerging and developed markets is the emergence of a booming market for used iPhones.

Sales of refurbished iPhones rose 16 percent in volume globally during 2022. India led the growth with a 19 percent jump, according to Counterpoint, with iPhones accounting for 11 percent of secondary smartphone sales in India.

In an interview with Reuters on Thursday, Apple’s Cook said little of Apple’s direct iPhone revenue comes from refurbished devices. However he said the company has tried to bolster the used iPhone market by offering trade-in deals on its iPhones and building them sturdy enough to last several owners.

“We encourage the market and it provides us an opportunity to hit some price points that we would not otherwise play in,” Cook said in the interview.

© Thomson Reuters 2023

OnePlus recently launched its first tablet in India, the OnePlus Pad, which is only sold in a Halo Green colour option. With this tablet, OnePlus has stepped into a new territory that’s dominated by Apple’s iPad. We discuss this and more on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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Apple Store Employees in India Are Reportedly Earning Four Times More Than Industry Standard

Apple, in a rather overdue move, finally launched two Apple Stores in India earlier this month. The company has appointed groups of highly educated, tech-savvy staff members to help all customers visiting the Apple Stores in Mumbai and Delhi. These Apple Store employees in India are reportedly earning way more money than their counterparts working in the retail stores of other tech brands. The caretakers of Apple’s India stores donned green t-shirts and stood alongside Cook last week and welcomed, with cheers and applauses, the customers who lined-up outside the stores.

Apple is said to be paying around Rs. 1 lakh per month to its employees handing its two retail stores in India according to a report by Economic Times.

The reported salary that Apple Store’s offering in India is touted to be up to four times higher than what other tech brands pay their retail store employees on a monthly basis.

It is estimated, that the Cupertino, US-based tech giant has onboarded around 170 people to manage its two Apple Stores in India. It is also clear that Apple has conducted due diligence before finalising its team members to take up the responsibility of running the first two stores in India.

Along with high-level educational qualifications in Information Technology (IT), electrical engineering, robotics and computer applications, Apple has appointed linguistically advanced staff to be part of its Indian retail stores.

Some staff members have been relocated from other countries as well, to be part of Apple’s India retail expansion.

In the coming times, Apple could double or triple investments in India along with exports, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the deputy minister for information technology recently told Reuters.

The Apple CEO, while on his visit to India, met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in New Delhi. The meeting entailed discussions on how Apple plans to grow its business and manufacturing from within India.

Correction: An earlier version of this story stated that salaries were estimated to be Rs. 1 lakh per annum. This has been corrected. 

Xiaomi launched its camera focussed flagship Xiaomi 13 Ultra smartphone, while Apple opened it’s first stores in India this week. We discuss these developments, as well as other reports on smartphone-related rumours and more on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
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Apple CEO Tim Cook Concludes His India Visit, Says ‘Can’t Wait to Return’

After a five-day long visit, Apple CEO Tim Cook left India with a note that he can’t wait to return to the country.

The visit of Cook coincided with 25 years of the iPhone maker’s presence in India. Cook arrived in India on Monday. The visit started with the launch of the first official Apple store in Mumbai on April 18 followed by a second in the national capital on April 20.

“What an incredible week in India! Thanks to our teams across the country. I can’t wait to return,” Cook tweeted.

The company has been selling products in India through exclusive Apple Premium Reseller (APR) stores, large format retail chains like Reliance Digital, Croma etc, multi-brand retail stores and through e-commerce platforms.

Apple has over 100 APR stores in India.

One of the APR stores was located in the Select CityWalk Mall which had to shift to a nearby mall to pave the way for the Apple Store.

Apple started making iPhones in India in 2017 after Cook’s last visit in 2016 with low-cost iPhone SE to suit the requirements of the local market. The company now exports “Made in India” iPhones.

Industry sources estimate that Apple exported iPhones in the range of USD 5-5.5 billion in the just-ended financial year 2022-23.

On his last day of the visit to India, Apple CEO met Bharti Group founder and chairman Sunil Mittal and both of them reaffirmed their commitment to work more closely in India and Africa, Bharti Group said on Friday.

“Tim Cook and Sunil Bharti Mittal had an hour-long meeting this morning. While expressing their satisfaction on the ongoing long relationship that Apple and Airtel have had, (they) reaffirmed their commitment to work more closely in the Indian and African market,” Bharti Group said in a statement.

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.

After opening the first official store in Mumbai, Cook arrived in the national capital on the second leg of the visit on Wednesday.

Ahead of the opening of the Apple store at Saket, he visited the mesmerising artistic lanes of Lodhi Art District.

“Delhi’s Lodhi Art District is a remarkable public space. Congratulations to the St+art India Foundation and so many amazing artists for capturing Indian life so powerfully. And thank you to Dattaraj Naik for showing me how you design your murals on iPad,” 62-year-old Cook tweeted.

The walls of buildings lined up in the entire area don beautiful murals that the city is famous for.

During his Delhi trip, Cook met Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the iPhone manufacturer is looking to invest more in the world’s second-largest smartphone market.

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.

Looking to replicate what China did to Apple’s business in the last 15 years, the tech giant is eyeing India’s massive market with an expanding middle class to power sales growth, and potentially make it a home base for the production of millions of Apple devices.

Cook during his visit met Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar.

As per the sources, Cook has sought government support to widen its components supplier base in India.

Apple CEO is learnt to have also discussed manufacturing facilities and app design and development accelerator in Bengaluru with both ministers.

Like in 2016, Cook again took out time to watch an IPL cricket match. He spent his evening in Delhi watching an IPL cricket match with Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor Ahuja, BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla and others. Cook had watched an IPL cricket match with Shukla in Kanpur during his previous visit.

“Thank you so much for an unforgettable evening!” Cook retweeted Ahuja’s tweet in which she shared his photo.

On the last day of his trip, Cook visited some app developers to experience their technology.

“It’s great to see so many developers across India pursuing their passion and sharing their ideas with users around the world. I had the pleasure of meeting Hitwicket, India’s top-rated cricket app, Prayoga, an AR-based yoga app, and LookUp, an easy-to-use dictionary app,” Cook tweeted.

He also shared his experience of “rangoli and kolam designs” made of flower petals, rice, and coloured sand that were captured on the iPhone.

Xiaomi launched its camera focussed flagship Xiaomi 13 Ultra smartphone, while Apple opened it’s first stores in India this week. We discuss these developments, as well as other reports on smartphone-related rumours and more on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
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Apple Saket, Delhi’s First Apple Store Previewed Ahead of Opening on April 20

Apple announced that it will open Apple Saket, the company’s first store in the national capital, on Thursday. The Cupertino firm on Wednesday previewed the new store to media outlets a day ahead of the official inauguration. Earlier this week, Apple CEO Tim Cook opened the company’s first store in the country in Mumbai, 15 years after the first Apple product was launched in India. The iPhone maker also announced that Apple Saket and the company’s other operations in India are carbon neutral and run on renewable energy.

In a press release, Apple said that the new store, located in Select City Walk Mall in Delhi, will open on Thursday at 10am IST. The company has also announced that customers will be able to sign up for ‘Today at Apple’ sessions at the store in Delhi. However, the company’s website indicates that all sessions scheduled up to May 2 have already been fully booked.

At Apple Saket, customers will have access to the latest iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, AirPods, Mac, and Apple TV models from the company. In addition, the store’s walls are lined with accessories for supported devices. The store also has space reserved for Today at Apple sessions, where customers can get familiar with their devices and how to use Apple’s various services. The Apple Pickup facility also allows customers to purchase devices online and then collect them at the store. 

Apple Saket will offer access to all of Apple’s latest products

 

Gadgets 360 visited Apple Saket on Wednesday as part of a media preview of the store. The store appears to be smaller in size compared to its Mumbai counterpart, Apple BKC, which was inaugurated by Apple CEO Tim Cook on Tuesday. Cook is also said to have planned to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his ongoing visit to the country.

Until earlier this week, customers in India were serviced through Authorised Apple stores. The new Apple BKC store in Mumbai and the Apple Saket store in Delhi will stock every product and accessory launched by Apple in the country, while offering customers the same experience as Apple stores in other countries.

According to the iPhone maker, Apple Saket has 70 retail employees that hail from 18 states across the country. These employees speak more than 15 languages collectively, Apple says. Like other Apple stores, customers can also set up an appointment at the Genius Bar to receive help from Apple Experts for issues related to devices, subscriptions, and digital service, according to the company.

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Apple Fans Flock to First Store in Mumbai, Show Off Original Macintosh, Vintage Products

About 300 people queued at Apple’s store in Mumbai on Tuesday, as fans took selfies with Chief Executive Tim Cook, who inaugurated the first retail store run by the tech giant in India, underscoring the importance of its market.

“The energy, creativity, and passion in Mumbai are incredible!” Cook, who is making his first visit to India in seven years, said on Twitter. “We are so excited to open … our first store in India.”

People flocked to the store from across India, hoping to be among the first to enter, in an opening event featuring local music and folk dancers.

Some queued outside from the previous night to get their hands on Apple products, even though they are available online in India.

“The fanboy inside me would not listen,” Purav Mehta, 30, told Reuters, as he waited to get Cook’s signature on his boxed mint-condition iPod Touch, which he had bought on eBay, as well as waiting to buy the Apple Watch Ultra.

Many visitors wore T-shirts in the style favoured by co-founder Steve Jobs, had their hair cut in the shape of an Apple logo and one fan even brought a version of the first Apple computer launched in 1984.

“The vibe here is just different,” said 23-year old Aan Shah, who travelled from the western industrial city of Ahmedabad for the launch in India’s commercial capital.

“It’s not like buying from some normal store. There’s just no comparison. It’s so exciting.”

His love for Apple took him to store openings as a young student in New York and Boston, where he once got a chance to meet Cook, he said.

Apple has previously faced hurdles in opening physical retail stores in the South Asian nation, but its products have been available on e-commerce websites, while its online store opened in 2020.

The new store opens as Indian consumers increasingly look to upgrade their smartphones to glitzier models, with richer feature sets, from budget devices typically costing less than $120.

Still, Apple’s pricey phones are affordable for only a few in India, where it accounts for just a 3 percent share of the market.

The new store, located in the Reliance-owned Jio World Drive mall, opened for bloggers and tech analysts at a private event on Monday, while many Indian film and television celebrities were seen meeting Cook that night.

A second store in Delhi, the capital, is set to open on Thursday. Cook is set to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the deputy IT minister later this week, sources told Reuters.

As Apple pushes to make India a bigger manufacturing base, some of its products, including iPhones, are being assembled in the country by Taiwanese contract electronics manufacturers Foxconn and Wistron.

It also plans to assemble iPads and AirPods in India. 

 

© Thomson Reuters 2023

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