Apple tries to woo India with investment, job opportunities

NEW DELHI: Apple is trying to woo India with investment commitments, as its chief met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and members of his Cabinet ahead of the opening of a second official store in New Delhi on Thursday, according to the https://www.arabnews.com.

Apple CEO Tim Cook landed in India on Monday and launched the company’s first and long-anticipated official store in the country’s financial hub, Mumbai, a day later.

On Wednesday evening, he met Modi, as well as Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Deputy IT Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar, ahead of the opening of another Apple store in an upscale mall of the national capital.  

Cook’s India trip is the strongest sign yet that the region is in now in Apple’s strategic focus as supply chains move away from China.

Modi tweeted after his meeting with Cook that it was “an absolute delight to meet” him, as the Apple chief also took to Twitter to thank the PM 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,” Cook said.

With Vaishnaw, he discussed increasing Apple’s engagement “across manufacturing, electronics exports, app economy, skilling, sustainability and job creation especially for women,” the IT minister said, adding that they are “jointly charting a long-term and strong relationship.”

Apple began the assembly of an iPhone model in the country in 2017, but until now its presence in the Android-dominated country has not been significant, as most phones sold in India cost much less than even the least-expensive iPhone.

Apple’s share in India’s smartphone market was less than 4 per cent last month, according to data portal Statista, compared with China, where it is around 20 per cent.

But India could take over the role China has played in Apple’s business for the last 15 years.

Apple has begun to cut its dependence on China — a home base for the production of millions of its devices — as a trade war between Washington and Beijing intensifies and after COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns battered the biggest iPhone plant in Zhengzhou.

According to Nikhil Chawla, tech expert and founder of The Unbiased Blog, demand for Apple phones in China is also decreasing.