India: Apple CEO Tim Cook launches Apple's first-ever retail store in Mumbai’s Jio World Drive Mall

Digital Desk: Apple CEO Tim Cook opened the doors to the first Apple physical retail shop in India on Tuesday, with thousands of Apple fans and tech aficionados cheering from the outside. People in Mumbai will be able to sample and purchase Apple devices at the Jio World Drive mall in the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) from Tuesday afternoon. Apple's store is a significant step towards increasing its offline presence in the Indian market and competing with Samsung.

The Apple BKC store launch was attended by nearly 5000 computer aficionados (devotees), some of whom arrived as early as 8 a.m., nearly three hours before the doors were formally opened. 

On Monday, Apple also held a special tour of the store, where a group of media experts, were given a VIP tour of the store.

The business takes a distinct approach to the purchasing experience. It is light and airy, with plenty of natural light streaming through the glass walls. Plants have been installed inside the store, which is likely in keeping with the company's overall environmentally friendly stance. Apple boasts that this is one of the most environmentally friendly stores, as it will be carbon neutral and run entirely on renewable energy.

The sales team members' t-shirts with green themes reflect sustainability. The BKC store's 100-member team speaks more than 20 languages, understands every Apple device, and can walk visitors through the needed technology.

While the store's core design idea is similar to that of other Apple stores throughout the world, the business has put an Indian flair to it as well. A triangular, handcrafted timber ceiling extends beyond the glass façade of the store. It contains about 4,50,000 pieces of wood taken from Delhi. 

The 14-metre-long stainless steel staircase and two grey stone walls, as well as the mosaic flooring, greet you as you enter the store.

The store will stock all of Apple's current product lines in India, including MacBooks, iPhones, iPads, and watches. It also features the Apple Arcade, Apple HomePod, Apple Music, and Apple TV+. There is also a Genius Bar on the first floor of the store to assist customers. The store's launch represents Apple's next major step in expanding its presence in India.

Apple has been constantly analysing and focusing on the Indian market for some years. Some of it is due to Apple's China-plus-one strategy, which seeks to diversify manufacturing outside of China in the face of continued US-China tensions, but most of it is also due to India's rise as the next big manufacturing powerhouse.

It began producing older iPhone models in India in 2017 and has subsequently moved on to assembling the latest iPhone models. While Apple BKC is the country's first store, and another one will open in New Delhi on April 20.

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