After opening two outlets in Mumbai and New Delhi last year, tech giant Apple is now planning to open four new retail stores in India, according to a report.
The company has also started manufacturing the iPhone 16 Pro models domestically as it deepens its presence in the world’s second-largest smartphone market, reports TechCrunch.
Apple intends to launch stores in Bengaluru, Pune, Delhi-NCR, and Mumbai.
“We are thrilled to build our teams as we plan to open more apple stores in India, because we are inspired by the creativity and passion of our customers across this country,” Deirdre O’Brien, Apple’s senior vice president of Retail, was quoted as saying.
“We can’t wait for them to have even more opportunities to discover and shop for our amazing products and services, and connect with our extraordinary, knowledgeable team members,” she added.
However, she did not provide exact timelines for the new store openings.
The tech giant has also confirmed that it has begun manufacturing its entire iPhone 16 lineup, including the Pro models, in India. The company started producing iPhones in the country in 2017, beginning with the SE model, the report mentioned.
This move comes as part of Apple’s effort to diversify its production away from China and take advantage of India’s growing smartphone market.
Also Read: AirPods Pro 2 can be used as ‘clinical-grade’ hearing aids, says Apple
According to Morgan Stanley, the company’s revenue in the country increased by 42 per cent year-on-year in 2023 to $8.7 billion. iPhone shipments in India also rose by 39 per cent year-on-year in 2023, reaching 9.2 million units, making India the iPhone’s fifth-largest smartphone market.
Meanwhile, Apple has announced that its generative artificial intelligence (AI) feature will be available in even more languages in the coming year.
After an October launch in US English, the company said that its AI feature set will be available in English (India), English (Singapore), German, Italian, Korean, Portuguese, Vietnamese, and “others” in 2025.