Tim Cook Attends Opening of Apple BKC Store in Mumbai, India

Apple CEO Tim Cook today officially inaugurated the company's first retail store in India, opening its doors, welcoming the first customers, and posing for selfies outside Apple BKC.

Apple BKC Mumbai India media preview hero
The new flagship store is situated in the country's financial capital of Mumbai, located in a high-end shopping mall at Bandra-Kurla Complex – hence 'BKC' in the title – in the city's main business district. Apple says it is one of the most energy-efficient Apple Store locations in the world, with a dedicated solar array and zero reliance on fossil fuels for store operations. The store is operationally carbon neutral, running on 100% renewable energy.

The store opening is the culmination of sustained efforts by Apple to meet regulators' demands, which included making some of its products locally. Apple is set to open another store in the capital New Delhi on Thursday, and Cook is scheduled to attend. Cook is also expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit. It is the Apple CEO's first trip to India in seven years.

Until now, Apple products have been sold in India either online or through Apple's regional website or through a network of resellers. Beyond bringing Apple branding cachet, the physical stores will offer a premium buying experience in a country where the premium smartphone market is relatively untapped. Only about 4% of India's nearly 700 million smartphone users have iPhones, with the majority owning low-cost Android phones.


Apple's sales in India hit a new high of almost $6 billion in the year through March. Revenue in India grew by nearly 50%, from $4.1 billion a year earlier, according to a source with knowledge of the matter cited by Bloomberg.

Apple has been working to build out a manufacturing supply chain in India, which is home to the world's second biggest smartphone market. In an indication of the country's perceived importance as a production hub, Apple shifted iPhone 14 assembly from China to India in the weeks following its release.

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Top Rated Comments

mystery hill Avatar
21 months ago

The problem Apple has in countries such as China & India, is that most people are just as happy with a knock off as the real thing, however, I suspect this will significantly increase the sales in India
China and India have a population of 1.4 billion each.

Even with a 2% market share, that would be 28 million iPhone users in India.

For comparison, with a 100% iPhone market share, Australia would have 26 million iPhone users.

This is simplified obviously, and assumes even newborn babies have phones.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
japanime Avatar
21 months ago
That architecture is gorgeous. Well done, Apple!
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
21 months ago

Let's hope he's more enthusiastic than when he waved the checkered flag at the F1 last year.
It seems like he is.



Full video below. It seems like the customer was getting ready to give him a kiss on his cheek ?

[MEDIA=twitter]1648236613754060800[/MEDIA]

Attachment Image
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dexterouz Avatar
21 months ago

That architecture is gorgeous. Well done, Apple!
I don't know if anyone has mentioned it.

The Apple BKC store used:
• 1000 Handcrafted Timber tiles for the Ceiling.
• Stone walls from Rajasthan state. The stone has heat-retaining capacity. They retain heat during the day, keeping indoors cool, thus regulating the temperature.
• Stainless Steel Staircase.
• 100 team members who collectively speak 20+ Indian languages, including English.
• It runs on 100% Renewable Energy. Carbon neutral and fossil fuel free.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jay Tee Avatar
21 months ago
In spite of high import duties, everyone I know in India has an iPhone Pro/ProMax: if more components are manufactured there, Apple's stock will go vertical.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tomtad Avatar
21 months ago
I wish Apple put as much effort into macOS as they do into their stores
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)