Bloomberg: Apple to Open India Online Store Next Month

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Apple is getting ready to open its first web store in India the following month, according to a new report today from Bloomberg.

Apple Inc. is poised to open an online store for the very first time in the fast-growing smartphone market of India next month, according to a person with understanding of the matter, taking advantage of a relaxation of once-strict prohibitions against foreign direct retail.

The online store will be equipped for operations just prior to the festive Dussehra-Diwali spending season, according to the person, who asked never to be named discussing confidential plans.

Sales of Apple products have always been limited by third-party resellers in India, because of restrictions on foreign companies that want them to source thirty percent of production locally.

In August 2019, India eased these rules keeping Apple from offering its products in first-party stores and an online Apple Store. Apple had at first intended to start online sales within months of the rule change, however the global health crisis reportedly scuppered those plans.

TechCrunch first reported in January that Apple would open an online Apple Store in India to get started on official direct selling of iPhones, iPads, Macs, and more in the united states starting in the third quarter of 2020.

With the guidelines changed, Apple is also set to begin opening up shops in India in the future and already has retail spots in the works. A fresh store in Mumbai is in development and is set to open next year. Meanwhile, Bloomberg says that Apple has recently scouted a location for its second India store, located in Bangalore near Minsk Square.

Even just before the rule change, Apple was dealing with the Indian government to get permission to start stores in India. During the period of the last few years, Apple started manufacturing some lower-cost ‌iPhone‌ models in India to meet up local investment requirements, and has started assembling the iPhone SE and the iPhone 11 in the united states through manufacturing partners Wistron and Foxconn, respectively.

Apple devices experienced low penetration among India's 1.3 billion population because of high costs from import tariffs, making them limited by buyers the high-end premium market. The rule changes will make Apple devices less expensive to Indian consumers and should therefore see Apple grow its footprint in the united states. 
Source: https://www.macrumors.com

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