As you read these lines, the country’s first Apple Store has just opened in Mumbai. A virtuoso building that bears the signature of Bohlin Cywinski Jackson’s usual technique. 2,044 square feet with large windows, lots of light and “very excited to see where your creativity takes you at Apple BCK.” The company even made a small logo and even redesigned one playlist for Apple Music to celebrate the occasion. But this is all just part of a much larger plan. A gigantic one.
“Hello Mumbai”: The first App Store arrives in India
It was announced this week that Mumbai will soon host the first official Apple Store. India Retailing confirms that the external aesthetics are right inspired by Mumbai’s iconic Kaali Peeli taxi station, truffled with colors but topped with the usual white front. Apple’s sales in India have so little history that they barely date back to September 1, 2020 when they opened their first web store. Something that will change.
And it is that the movement is preceded by a much greater desire. apple is waiting”iPhone production in India to triple by 2023and may even export the iPhone 15 to global consumers by the end of the year,” reports William Galllager for AppleInsider. Those numbers echo another report released by Bloomberg, which revealed that Apple has manufactured more than 6.5 million iPhones in India. in fiscal year 2022. It is estimated that the number will increase to 15 million iPhones by 2024.
“Assembled in India”
China and India are rivals. And they are for hundreds of issues, from cultural and social to key geopolitics: China has been munching miles of territory from India for decades. A wound that occasionally bleeds, reflected in the grittier market’s drippings: raw material.
Now let’s proceed with a proof: India is the second largest global market for smartphone sales. A gigantic hotbed of opportunity, both in hardware distribution and software prescription. And we already know that Apple is primarily strengthening its services wing.
The rope with China has been tightening for a number of years, with a supply chain unresponsive to Apple’s needs — either before or after the necessary post-COVID restrictions. The idyll is over, but neither side is satisfied with the change of strategy: iPhones made in India have been a thing of the past for quite some time. A necessary toll until the required standards are reached. As it was, they are clear at Apple: divide and conquer. These Vietnam-made AirPods tell us more than meets the eye.
Meanwhile, the romance between Apple and India goes way back. February 2017 to be exact. Back then, Apple’s share of the Indian market was a meager 3%. Today, they’re nowhere near even among the top ten best-selling brands in the country, however there is a clear upward trend: Sales rose 34% last year year-on-year, quarter on quarter again beating its own records in production, distribution and sales.
After five years of negotiations, projects of long development and mutual failure, they seem to have hit the key in Cupertino: everything can change out of national pride. That means Indians will buy the iPhones they produce themselves. In short, Apple needs to increase its quota in India and has a plan to make it happen: appeal to the pride of the country that makes their iPhones. Maybe not everyone buys an iPhone “Made in India”, but if you look at the market trends, they will.
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Source : www.applesfera.com