Apple CEO Tim Cook to meet PM Modi amid launch of 1st India store: Report

Apple CEO Tim Cook, set to arrive in India this week to launch the company’s first retail stores in India, will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as per a Reuters report.

The Reuters report quoting sources added that Cook will also hold discussions with deputy IT minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar. The source, which includes a government official, said that the meet with Modi is scheduled for Wednesday in Delhi. However, the PM’s office or the government of India is yet to confirm the same.

The reported meetings come close on the heels of Apple’s increased focus on India to diversify its assembly operations beyond China. It was earlier reported by Bloomberg that Apple had sought a meeting for Cook with PM Modi amidst the Centre’s push to attract Apple’s manufacturing partners like Foxconn Technology Group and Pegatron Corp. Cook first visited India in 2016.

Also read: At 25 years in India, Apple shifts gears beyond products and sales

The world's second-largest smartphone market will be home to the iPhone maker’s retail stores set to open in Mumbai and Delhi. The Apple BKC store in Mumbai opened its doors for a private event on Monday and will start functioning for the public from Tuesday. The company’s second outlet in India will be inaugurated on Thursday at a premier Saket mall in Delhi.

The two stores have been a long time in the making as India’s strict rules forbid global brands from opening own-brand outlets unless they source a significant portion of the goods from within the country.

According to India Cellular and Electronics Association data, iPhones took up 50% share of the overall $9 billion worth of smartphones exported from India between April 2022 and February 2023.

The company opened its Indian online store in 2020, but Apple’s relatively high sticker prices are still a deterrent in the nation of 1.4 billion where affordability plays a major role in purchase decisions.

(With inputs from Reuters, Bloomberg)