First Apple Store in India Delayed Due to Global Health Crisis

The first physical Apple retail store in India, promised by Apple CEO Tim Cook last year to open in 2021, has been delayed due to the worldwide health crisis, the company has confirmed to The Indian Express.

apple india
Last year, during an earnings call, Apple CEO ‌Tim Cook‌ stated that his company plans to open its first official Apple Store in India by 2021. Clearly, due to the unforeseen and unpredictable challenges presented by the global health crisis, Apple has delayed its store opening in Mumbai.

In September, Apple tailored to its strong Indian customer base by opening an online store. This gave customers a direct way to purchase products from the company itself rather than from authorized retailers.

In the past, Cook and other Apple executives have remarked on India's importance, including in the latest quarterly earnings call, stating that Apple had grown double-digits in India, along with a few other countries.

Popular Stories

streaming black friday 2025

Black Friday Streaming Deals Include Big Savings on Disney+, Hulu, Apple TV, and More

Monday November 24, 2025 8:03 am PST by
We've been focusing on deals on physical products over the past few weeks, but Black Friday is also a great time of year to purchase a streaming membership. Some of the biggest services have great discounts for new and select returning members this week, including Disney+, Hulu, Paramount+, Peacock, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Adds These New Features to Your iPhone

Thursday November 20, 2025 10:50 am PST by
iOS 26.2 is currently in beta testing. The upcoming update includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, including a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics for Apple Music, and more. In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but it did not provide a specific release date. Keep reading...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

iOS 27 Will Reportedly Have Two Key Upgrades

Sunday November 23, 2025 8:48 am PST by
iOS 27 will reportedly have two major elements: quality improvements and new AI features. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that iOS 27 will be similar to Mac OS X Snow Leopard, in the sense that Apple is focused on improving "quality and underlying performance" over adding new features. Gurman said there is one exception to this rule, though, as he expects...
maxresdefault

The MacRumors Show: iPhone 18 Pro Looks Like a Huge Upgrade

Friday November 21, 2025 9:10 am PST by
On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we talk through all of the new features and improvements expected to come to next year's iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max models. Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel for more videos Apple's next-generation iPhones are less than ten months away and we already have a good idea about what to expect based on corroborated leaks, rumors,...
General Black Friday Deals 25 Red

Apple Black Friday Deals Available Now on AirPods, iPads, Accessories, and More

Friday November 21, 2025 8:48 am PST by
We're only a few days away from Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 28 in 2025. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When...
Apple Shopping Event 2025

Apple Announces 2025 Black Friday Event, Here's What You Can Get

Thursday November 20, 2025 6:28 am PST by
Apple's annual four-day Black Friday through Cyber Monday shopping event is returning on Friday, November 28 through Monday, December 1 in many countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Thailand, and others. During the shopping event, customers can get an Apple gift card with...
hikawa phone grip stand apple%402x

Apple Launches Second Limited-Edition iPhone Accessory in a Month

Friday November 21, 2025 3:53 am PST by
Apple has begun selling the Hikawa Phone Grip and Stand, a new limited-edition iPhone accessory designed with accessibility in mind. Designed by LA-based Bailey Hikawa to celebrate the 40th anniversary of accessibility at Apple, the grip uses magnets to securely snap onto any iPhone with MagSafe. Apple says it can be removed with ease, and doubles as a stand with two different viewing...
Apple Foldable Thumb

Foldable iPhone to Debut These Two Breakthrough Features

Wednesday November 19, 2025 7:26 am PST by
Apple's first foldable iPhone is expected to launch alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models in fall 2026, and it's shaping up to include two standout features that could set it apart from the competition. The book-style foldable will reportedly feature an industry-first 24-megapixel under-display camera built into the inner display, according to a recent JP Morgan equity research report. That...
amazon black friday

Amazon Kicks Off Black Friday Sale With Major Discounts on Apple Accessories, TVs, and More

Sunday November 23, 2025 7:12 am PST by
Black Friday deals have begun, and Amazon is one of the best places you can find steep discounts on numerous products this week. We've already collected all of the best Apple-related deals you'll find at Amazon (and other retailers) in our Apple Black Friday Deals post, so below you'll find other discounts on devices like Anker accessories, Beats headphones, video games, TVs, and more. Note:...

Top Rated Comments

Darth Tulhu Avatar
56 months ago
Covid is no joke. It infuriates me that we have a viable mitigation in place but people are STILL dying left and right all over the world for dumbass capitalistic or political reasons.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tavsingh Avatar
56 months ago
We're happy with the online store.
Do something to decrease the 40%+ tax on Apple products.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ElectricPotato Avatar
56 months ago

...mass covid-19 outdoor crematoriums
In the US we had refrigerated morgue trucks being filled by prison labor. The horrors of this pandemic are numbing. A delayed store opening does not even register.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
pdaholic Avatar
56 months ago
Hard to lament the delayed opening of an Apple store when there are mass covid-19 outdoor crematoriums in this country. God help them.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Pro_the_legend Avatar
56 months ago
Forget the physical store, let them add support for the online store on the Apple store app. It’s a pain to shop from the website from the phone.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
svish Avatar
56 months ago
Waiting eagerly for the 1st apple store in India. Would be nice if one store opens in Bangalore too.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)