A year after Tim Cook became the first Apple CEO to visit India, the Cupertino-based
technology giant is clearly looking to take a larger bite into India’s burgeoning digital economy. The maker of iconic products like the iPhone and the Mac is looking at a multi-pronged strategy to ramp up its presence in one of the fastest growing smartphone markets in the world. This includes scaling up its manufacturing, developing localised features on its OS, setting up self-owned retail outlets and creating an ecosystem for developers to shift from Android to the iOS platform. The company is also looking to engage with the government to seek approval for import of certified pre-used iPhones to make its devices more affordable.
In an interview with The Hindu over a sit-down lunch at Apple’s campus at Cupertino, California, Mr. Cook said he was very happy with the progress made by the company so far in India.
On importing pre-owned iPhones, Mr. Cook said the company is hopeful of an agreement with the government. “I still believe that certified pre-owned phones will be good for India... Over time hopefully we will get an agreement,” he said.
The tech giant is also embarking on localisation of its new operating platform iOS 11 — including features in Hindi and introducing cricket on its voice assistant Siri. This comes even as Apple is facing multiple challenges, including declining sales in China and the U.S. In addition, the Cupertino-based company is under pressure to keep up its leadership in bringing out innovative products especially with new technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Augmented Reality (AR).
