When Modi Met Cook: Apple CEO Says Committed To Invest In India

Ahead of the launch of Apple’s newest retail store in the national capital, the tech giant’s chief executive officer (CEO) Tim Cook met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Wednesday (April 19). 

Reiterating Apple’s focus on the country, Cook told PM Modi that the company is committed towards growing and scaling up investments in India. The two also exchanged ideas on a slew of topics ranging from the local developer ecosystem to manufacturing. 

“Thank you Prime Minister  @narendramodi for the warm welcome. We share your vision of the positive impact technology can make on India’s future — from education and developers to manufacturing and the environment, we’re committed to growing and investing across the country,” tweeted Apple CEO. 

PM Modi, in a tweet, said, “Glad to exchange views on diverse topics and highlight the tech-powered transformations taking place in India.”

Cook also met Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar afterwards.

In his meeting with Cook, Vaishnaw discussed avenues to deepen Apple’s engagement in India across areas such as manufacturing, electronics exports, app economy, skilling, sustainability and job creation.

The meeting with PM Modi came a day after Cook unveiled the first Apple Store in the country in Mumbai’s Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC). Apple will launch its second store in India in Delhi’s Saket on April 20. 

Sources told news agency PTI that Cook will welcome customers during the unveiling ceremony of the store in New Delhi on Thursday. The Delhi store is said to be smaller in comparison to the Mumbai one and will employ 70 workers. 

As per the company, the employees at the Delhi store come from 18 states and together speak more than 15 languages. The barricade for the Delhi outlet reportedly also takes inspiration from Delhi’s many gates and will serve as an entry point for a one-stop-shop for all Apple products under one roof. 

“We’re thrilled to bring the best of Apple to our customers in Delhi with the opening of our second store in India, Apple Saket…,” Apple’s senior vice president for retail Deirdre O’Brien was quoted as saying. 

While Apple’s products have always been available in India through resellers, the new retail store will offer a ‘better’ consumer experience and wider inventory for customers looking to buy Apple products. The stores will also offer support from its in-store executives. 

The inauguration of the two Indian retail stores comes at a time when the smartphone major has ramped up its focus on India. A recent report claimed that Apple generated $6 Bn worth of sales from India in the fiscal year ended March 2023, witnessing a growth of 50% from the previous financial year. The growth largely came on the back of sales of iPhones and wearable devices. 

Apple has also doubled down on its production facilities in the country, tripling the output of iPhones in India to $7 Bn in FY23. From just 1% of iPhone production in India at the end of 2021, the Cupertino-based company has now scaled it to almost 7%. It has reportedly generated more than 1 Lakh jobs in the country so far. 

The pivot to India has largely been led by the ongoing geopolitical tensions between Washington and Beijing. Through vendors such as Foxconn, Pegatron, Jabil and Salcomp, Apple has ramped up its production in the country in the recent past. 

The company is expected to continue scaling up its operations in India and focus on increasing production. The scale of the India move has been such that brokerage firm JP Morgan, last year, estimated that the tech major may make one out of four iPhones in India by 2025.