Apple's Tim Cook To Meet PM Narendra Modi On 19 April Amid Launch Of iPhone Maker's First-ever India Stores — Report

Tim Cook, the chief executive officer of Apple, is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday (19 April), during his visit to inaugurate the technology giant's first retail stores in India this week.

He will also meet with the Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, Rajeev Chandrasekhar.

This was made known by two sources, including an Indian government official, to Reuters.

This week, Cook's visit to Mumbai and New Delhi to open Apple's first official company-owned outlets reflects their increasing desire to succeed in India.

Although Apple only holds 3 per cent market share in India, they have been intensifying their iPhone assembly through contract manufacturers and upping their exports.

Cook's meetings suggest Apple's increased interest in India's smartphone market, the second-largest globally.

India exported $9 billion worth of smartphones from April 2022 to February 2023, with iPhones making up over 50 per cent of that amount, according to India Cellular and Electronics Association data.

Apple opened its first Mumbai store to a select audience on Monday (17 April); the store will be thrown open to the public the next day. A second store will be inaugurated inside a New Delhi mall on Thursday (20 April).

Foxconn, Wistron Corp, and Pegatron Corp assemble iPhones for Apple in India, and the company plans to produce iPads and AirPods there too.