Under Tim Cook’s leadership, Apple accelerates its long-term strategy in India, establishing retail stores and ramping up local iPhone assembly to diversify its supply chain and fuel future expansion.
Tim Cook has turned India into one of Apple’s most important long-term bets, pushing the company beyond its historic reliance on the iPhone and into a broader strategy built around retail, manufacturing and services. Business Today said the shift has been gradual but deliberate, with Apple deepening its presence as the country has moved from a promising market to a central pillar of growth.
The most visible sign of that change came in April 2023, when Apple opened its first two company-run stores in India, in Mumbai and Delhi. Tim Cook attended both launches, marking the end of years in which Apple depended mainly on authorised resellers. According to Business Today and NDTV, Cook had already signalled that ambition during a 2016 visit, when he described India as one of Apple’s fastest-growing markets.
Since then, the retail footprint has expanded to six stores, with outlets now operating in Bengaluru, Pune, Noida and Borivali in Mumbai as well as the original Mumbai and Delhi sites. The network gives Apple direct control over how its products are presented and sold, strengthening customer engagement in a market where premium electronics still depend heavily on in-person experience and after-sales support.
Retail is only part of the story. Bloomberg reported in March that Apple now assembles about 25% of its iPhones in India, up roughly 53% in 2025, with production reaching about 55 million units. TechCrunch and Business Standard carried the same broad figures, underscoring how quickly India has moved into Apple’s global supply chain as the company seeks to reduce dependence on China amid trade tensions. Apple’s manufacturing partners in India include Foxconn, Tata Electronics and Pegatron.
Taken together, the six stores and the growing production base show a broader repositioning. India is no longer just an external sales market for Apple. It is becoming a place where the company sells, assembles and, increasingly, plans for future growth.
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