It's open and we can't keep calm: Apple's first retail store in India launches in Mumbai

The wait is finally over! Apple opened its first retail store in India in Mumbai’s BKC area amid much hype and enthusiasm from the company’s legion of fans. Apple CEO Tim Cook personally opened the doors to the store, located in BKC’s Jio World Drive mall, with employees and the public cheering loudly. AFP

Apple CEO Tim Cook, who is making his first visit to India in seven years, said, “The energy, creativity, and passion in Mumbai is incredible! We are so excited to open… our first store in India.” Reuters

Apple’s Tim Cook poses with a fan outside the BKC Apple store. Apple launched its online store in India in 2020, but had not opened an official physical shop until now due to previous investment rules, since relaxed, requiring foreign retailers to source 30 percent of raw materials locally, and pandemic delays. Reuters

At the launch, one person, later identified as Sajid, turned up with a Macintosh SE that was designed, manufactured, and old by Apple from 1987 to 1990. Sajid got his treasured possession autographed by Tim Cook. Sajid claims to be a hardcore fan. He said, “It is a great pleasure to work on Apple products.” AP

The store located in the heart of Mumbai opened to the beats of the Nashik dhol and cheers from employees within and customers lined up outside the store. People had lined up outside the store since the wee hours of the morning, many travelling from as far as Bangalore to be part of the launch event. AP

A crowd had collected outside the store since early morning and there’s been a buzz around the launch of this store. Apple is betting big on the nation of 1.4 billion people — home to the second-highest number of smartphone users in the world, after China — with a second store to open in the capital Delhi on Thursday. PTI

Apoorv Rao, an Apple fan from Bangalore, sports a haircut depicting the Apple logo as he waits in a queue outside India’s first Apple retail store on the day of its opening in Mumbai. Many fans of the company had come from far and wide and spoke of their excitement about the launch of the store. Reuters

People are seen inside India’s first Apple retail store in Mumbai. Contrary to expectations, the store did not have any launch day offers. However, customers on the first day got a bespoke Apple tote bag with the Apple BKC store’s customised logo, and a sticker of the logo. Reuters

Fans of the California-based company were overjoyed with the store’s launch. Purav Mehta, a sales executive, told AFP that he had camped overnight outside the store, bringing with him his still-unopened 2013 iPod Touch. “We’ve been looking forward to it… for a long time we’ve been waiting for this,” he told AFP. AP

A woman poses for pictures inside India’s first Apple retail store, on the day of its opening in Mumbai. Reuters

Many visitors wore T-shirts in the style favoured by co-founder Steve Jobs. They said the launch of the Apple retail store is just different. “There’s just no comparison. It’s so exciting,” said 23-year old Aan Shah, who travelled from Ahmedabad. Reuters

A man shows off with his phone after it was signed by Tim Cook. Incidentally, Apple BKC is designed to be one of the most energy-efficient Apple Store locations, with a dedicated solar array and zero reliance on fossil fuels. The store is operationally carbon neutral, running on 100 per cent renewable energy. PTI

The 20,000 square feet store, which can hold around 300 customers at a time, let in people in batches to manage the crowd. This resulted in serpentine queues outside the store well into the day. AFP

Apple is emphasising more on the Indian market because of the opportunity. Cook too said in a February earnings call that “India is a hugely exciting market for us and is a major focus”. Apple was “putting a significant amount of energy” into India, he added, saying he was “very bullish” on the country. India is also becoming central to Apple’s plans to shift its production of devices and components away from China. AP