Apple Once Again Delays First Apple Store in India Until Next Year

Apple has once again delayed the opening of its first physical retail store in India, The Economic Times reports.

apple india
The store was originally planned to open in 2021, but the global health crisis and economic uncertainty forced Apple to delay the opening. Now, Apple has decided to delay the launch until early 2023, with today's report saying the company is aiming for a launch between the January and March timeframe. The store in Mumbai is set to be 22,000 square feet and will be a "landmark" store known for its iconic design.

Apple is also planning a second, smaller store in New Delhi that will measure 10,000-12,000 square feet. Beyond those two stores, Apple is also looking at other possible locations in malls and high-end shopping districts across India with the intent of making retail a large part of its presence in the country.

In 2020 Apple opened its online store in India, offering Indian customers a direct way to purchase products directly from Apple without having to go through an authorized premium reseller. Apple executives have repeatedly stressed the importance of the Indian market. Most notably, Apple began production of the iPhone 13 in the country earlier this year.

Popular Stories

Apple Logo Black

Apple Just Made Its Second-Biggest Acquisition Ever After Beats

Thursday January 29, 2026 10:07 am PST by
Apple today confirmed to Reuters that it has acquired Q.ai, an Israeli startup that is working on artificial intelligence technology for audio. Apple paid close to $2 billion for Q.ai, according to sources cited by the Financial Times. That would make this Apple's second-biggest acquisition ever, after it paid $3 billion for the popular headphone and audio brand Beats in 2014. Q.ai has...
imac video apple feature

Apple Unveils First New Products of 2026

Monday January 26, 2026 1:55 pm PST by
Apple today introduced its first two physical products of 2026: a second-generation AirTag and the Black Unity Connection Braided Solo Loop for the Apple Watch. Read our coverage of each announcement to learn more:Apple Unveils New AirTag With Longer Range, Louder Speaker, and More Apple Introduces New Black Unity Apple Watch BandBoth the new AirTag and the Black Unity Connection Braided...
iPhone 5s

iPhone 5s Gets New Software Update 13 Years After Launch

Monday January 26, 2026 3:56 pm PST by
Alongside iOS 26.2.1, Apple today released an updated version of iOS 12 for devices that are still running that operating system update, eight years after the software was first released. iOS 12.5.8 is available for the iPhone 5s and the iPhone 6, meaning Apple is continuing to support these devices for 13 and 12 years after launch, respectively. The iPhone 5s came out in September 2013,...
Apple Creator Studio

Apple's Next Launch is Today

Tuesday January 27, 2026 2:39 pm PST by
Update: Apple Creator Studio is now available. Apple Creator Studio launches this Wednesday, January 28. The all-in-one subscription provides access to the Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Pixelmator Pro, Motion, Compressor, and MainStage apps, with U.S. pricing set at $12.99 per month or $129 per year. A subscription to Apple Creator Studio also unlocks "intelligent features" and "premium...
apple silicon 1 feature

Apple Responds to Skyrocketing RAM and Storage Chip Prices

Thursday January 29, 2026 2:40 pm PST by
On an earnings call with equity analysts today, Apple CEO Tim Cook responded to fast-rising RAM and SSD storage chip prices in the supply chain. Prices for RAM and NAND storage chips are surging lately due to high demand from companies building out AI servers, resulting in supply constraints. Cook said that rising memory chip prices had a "minimal impact" on Apple's gross margin in the...

Top Rated Comments

Justin Cymbal Avatar
46 months ago
Very exciting to see Apple opening up their first store in India next year

Apple now has over 500 stores worldwide and I’m glad that they continue to expand and build amazing stores in new countries all over the world
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Nkapple Avatar
46 months ago

The average Indian will have to work 724 hours—around 90 days—to afford the iPhone 13, compared to 50 hours for the average US worker. Let’s see how it goes.
The world economy does not work that way. I mean based in average. If the market is huge enough , even a top 5 percent means huge amount of revenue pool. Why should apple miss the fastest or second fastest large economy in the world.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AbhiAchShan Avatar
46 months ago
Almost waiting since 2 Years for their Store, I was quite happy when they opened their Online Store in India, now only thing remaining is offline store, which is repeatedly being delayed, I almost planned to visit this Aug, according to some rumours, but :(. Still Excited to look the first Apple Store in India
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kshitijshah Avatar
46 months ago
Physical store launch is critical to bringing up service standards in India.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
apparatchik Avatar
46 months ago
I'm sure both current and mid term growth in India allows for say the top 20-30% of the population to afford Apple products, specially those working in tech and living in big cities. That 20-30% would make for a larger market than the whole of the US. Sure, there might be 70-80% of consumers left out ATM but the numbers are just on a different scale, especially if you count all the tiny markets in Europe where Apple has presence since forever.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kshitijshah Avatar
46 months ago

India has a law that requires manufacturing in country for certain products. Apple was forced to negotiate and open a manufacturing center to be able to sell them in country. I think that has proven to be far more difficult than they thought it should be. I'm sure there are people in Apple management working on an ulcer over dealing with India.
I am sure executives at Apple are paid well enough o navigate these issues. Every major brand has a thriving business in India. Apple doesn't have to navigate any special rules.


I'm concerned that the leader of India is going to push Pakistan too far and once the nukes start flying, it's over.
How is this relevant to the discussion?
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)