Apple must meet a strict rule that requires foreign retailers to sell at least 30% locally-sourced goods if it wishes to open stores in India, reports Reuters. A change in legislation last year exempted foreign retailers selling high-tech goods from the rule, but a government official told the outlet that Apple's products don't qualify for the category.
Spotlight Suggestions, a feature that recommends content from the Internet when searching with Spotlight on an iPhone, iPod touch or iPad with iOS 9.0+ or a Mac running OS X 10.11 El Capitan or later, has expanded to seven additional markets: Hong Kong, India, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and United Arab Emirates.
Counting these regions, Spotlight Suggestions are now available in a total of 26 major markets around the world, listed on Apple's iOS Feature Availability webpage.
Right after visiting China on Monday, Apple's boss Tim Cook flew to India the following day. He spent a few days touring the populous country, meeting with decision makers, negotiating with carriers and taking to end users and developers alike.
Speaking with The Hindu, Cook has now laid out his vision and strategy for India, a very important market for Apple where the company, despite a massive population of 1.25 billion people, has a single-digit share of the smartphone market.
As part of Tim Cook's packed schedule during his visit to India, Apple today confirmed it's opening a new facility in Hyderabad, that will focus on Maps development and employ up to 4,000 people. The new facility, located on the Waverock campus, will provide “a world-class, LEED-certified home for the expanding Maps team,” said the Cupertino firm.
Shortly after his pre-dawn spiritual experience at the Shree Siddhivinayak Temple at Prabhadevi in Mumbai, Apple CEO Tim Cook met the country's top wireless carriers in an effort to strike a "strategic partnership” ahead of a wide-scale LTE expansion in the country.
India, home to population of 1.25 billion people, is about to witness the advent of high-speed fourth-generation wireless networks, a move that Apple sees as the opportunity to expand the market for iPhones, as reported today by The Economic Times of India.
As expected, Apple CEO Tim Cook is visiting India today following his trip to China Monday, which came hot on the heels of the $1 billion investment in Didi Chuxing, China's Uber.
According to The Indian Express, Cook kicked off his much-anticipated India trip with a pre-dawn visit to the Shree Siddhivinayak Temple at Prabhadevi in Mumbai, along with the newly promoted Apple India head, Sanjay Kaul.
As was rumored yesterday, Apple CEO Tim Cook during his India trip announced an accelerator program for iOS developers. The facility is expected to open in early 2017.
According to a press release issued yesterday, the iOS app design and development accelerator will open in Bengaluru, the home of India’s startup scene.
After visiting China yesterday to meet the country's officials and promote a $1 billion acquisition of the local ride-sharing service Didi Chuxing, Apple's boss Tim Cook is touring India today and is planning to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He is also expected to unveil a development center for Apple Maps in the country along with an accelerator program for iOS developers, Bloomberg reported today.
Apple hopes to open its first three retail stores in India by the end of 2017, reports FactorDaily. Citing sources familiar with the company's plans, the outlet says the iPhone maker is currently eying "high street" locations in Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai for massive 10,000+ square foot stores.
Apple manufacturing partner Foxconn is close to signing a deal with the Indian government to open an iPhone manufacturing plant in the country, reports the Economic Times. More specifically, the company is looking for a 1,200-acre plot of land in Maharashtra.
Today's news comes nearly one year after we first heard of Foxconn's interest in building facilities in India. If the deal goes through, the electronics-maker hopes to construct a $10 billion building for assembling Apple's smartphones, and others would likely follow.
The Indian government has turned down Apple's request to sell refurbished iPhones in the country after Samsung and local phone vendors voiced their opposition to the move on environmental grounds, Bloomberg reported today.
This is a setback for the Cupertino firm: its iPhone has a minuscule two percent markets share in India, where half of the population is about 25 years old.
Apple's removed a significant barrier to opening its stores in India as the country's Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) recommended exempting the firm from a state ruling that requires foreign companies to source at least 30 percent of their goods from domestic suppliers for their branded retail stores, as per The Times of India.