on Tuesday, underscoring the US tech titan’s increasing focus on the South Asian nation as a key sales market and alternative manufacturing hub to China.Hundreds of admirers of the iPhone giant queued around the store in a swanky shopping mall in the financial capital Mumbai, some of them waiting overnight.
Sales and marketing executive Purav Mehta, 30, camped overnight outside the store ahead of the opening, bringing with him his still-unopened 2013 iPod Touch.Stationery dealer Madhav Mimani, 27, travelled about 900km from Rajasthan for the event. People pose with Apple products while waiting in a queue outside India’s first Apple retail store in Mumbai. PHOTO: REUTERS
But Canalys analyst Sanyam Chaurasia told AFP that Apple could benefit from the premiumisation of India’s smartphone market and financing schemes for both retailers and consumers.Supply chain Apple was “putting a significant amount of energy” into India, he added, saying he was “very bullish” on the country.