The Economic Times reports that Apple CEO Tim Cook is to meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi later this month.
An Apple spokesperson confirmed that a meeting between its CEO Cook and PM Modi will take place. The Apple spokesperson, however, declined to comment on the topic of discussion.
It’s likely that Cook will want to discuss the possibility of official Apple Stores in the country. India does not permit manufacturer-owned stores unless a certain proportion of components are sourced within the country, forcing Apple to rely on third-party resellers …
Apple is working to expand its network of mobile-focused resellers in India to 500 stores, also adding a fifth distributor in the country back in June.
Prime Minister Modi will in turn be pushing for Apple to make R&D and manufacturing investment in the country. Foxconn plans a $5B investment in factories in India, though it is not yet known whether these will be used to assemble iPhones.
While starting from a much smaller sales base than China, Cook said in the July earnings call that iPhone sales in India had increased by 93% in Q3, against 87% for China. Apple is expected to make the iPhone 6s/Plus available in India much earlier than was the case for previous models.
India sales may start as early as the second to third week of October, the trade has said. The Apple Watch is scheduled to be available in India by the end of this month.
Cook is no stranger to meetings with heads of state, having previously met with the Prime Ministers of both Israel and United Arab Emirates as well as President Obama.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
India? Serious?
what’s your point?
It would seem only fair, that with all the outsourcing the USA does to India that Apple could leverage some kind of deal to do their own stores.
It’s rare to make any type of support call and not be transferred to India. I realize this is a “cost savings” move by US manufacturers – but think how many US employees have lost work to the India call centers. Fair is fair.
YMMV
You use a computer assembled in Taiwan, smartphone assembled in China, clothes sewn in Bangladesh, etc. And here you are denouncing outsourcing? Please tell me this isn’t a joke!
“Sales growth outstripping China” – when 6 people in your country of 1BN+ own an iPhone, sales growth is pretty easy to get…
Also nice to see india still pursuing its protectionist policies and barriers to trade. Real good for the Indian people that (not)….
Clearly you have no remote clue about India. This is the most effective way to exhibit your ignorance and make yourself look like a fool.
Actually protectionism and barriers to trade are HUGE issues in India and so too is corruption. Indians in india talk about it all the time. If you go there there’s posters all over, supermarket take overs blocked, foreign brands curtailed…
His first comment is tongue in cheek, but many in India and their politicians would not sdisagree with him on protectionism.
So he’s not very ignorant at all.
Thanks for being an example for other readers how important education is.
Go back to school and learn how balancing trades work. What you call ‘protectionist policies’ is actually balancing trade deficit.
Also, with slowing ‘global’ economic growth = American companies relying less on China and starting new trade ties from nations with bigger markets. You might ‘think’ China is big but it sure won’t be the biggest market 2 years from now.
For a country that buys more gold than any other country, you sure are joking, trolling or both.
http://www.usitc.gov/publications/332/EC200609A.pdf
That is a really old photo of Tim Cook… Don’t you have anything more recent? This photo is scary.
Apple Store in India is going to leverage even more sales for the company.
Outstripping? Outpacing, exceeding, surpassing, or even just plain old beating. Outstripping sounds like they were in a footrace.