- By Abhinav Gupta
- Thu, 27 Aug 2020 11:38 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
New Delhi | Jagran Tech Desk: Weeks after Apple shifted the manufacturing operations of its flagship iPhone 11 from its units in China to Chennai, the premium smartphone maker will be launching its online store specific to India. The launch will take place sometime around in September, a month after Cupertino-based smart device major clocked $2 Trillion valuation.
The Apple India store was in pipeline for a few months now, however, delays in the approvals from retail regulation authorities followed in India amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The launch of Apple India store in the month of September may be proven a blessing in disguise, due to the festive season that is approaching in the coming months.
Apple has been aggressively expanding its footprint in India, with more country-based support from both manufacturing and sales’ point of view. According to a report in Bloomberg, Apple is going forward to acquire almost half a million square feet of space in Bangalore near Minsk square. This is closely as much the retail space available in Delhi’s Select City Walk mall, and half as much as Chandigarh’s Elante Mall. The company is also likely to open its first physical store in India, at Mumbai’s Bandra Kurla Commercial complex next year.
As of present, Apple sells its premium smartphone and smart device line-up through its franchise partners such as Flipkart and Amazon. This will also set a level playing field for Apple as other smartphone majors such as OnePlus, Samsung, and Mi already have their online stores from where they modulate the sale of their products, in addition to Amazon and Flipkart.
As far as the prices of Apple Products are concerned, it is unlikely that the smart device maker will do heavy discounting at its online store. However, the media reports suggest that festive season pricing may be put at lower costs during the initial few weeks of Apple India’s online launch.
