Good news for all Apple fanboys (and girls) in India. Apple Inc has struck an exclusive distribution deal with Reliance to launch Apple Stores in India. The deal was finalized on Monday, and is said to be the first retail partnership of Reliance with any international brand.
Initially, 10 Apple Stores will be launched nationwide by the end of 2007. First Apple Store is expected to start in Bangalore by the end of October (just days before Diwali). The launch will probably coincide with the launch iPod Touch in India.
Unlike Reseller Stores in India, Apple Store will exclusively sell Apple Products like iPods, iMac, MacBook, and iPhone (which are expected to arrive in Asia by the end of 2008). Apple Stores will also have Genius Bars for customer support and repairs, a theater for presentations and seminars, and studio to help people learn more about Apple Products.
Apple Resellers in India keep their profits before selling Apple Products. I expect prices to low (obviously), as there won’t be any middle men here. I’m planning on purchasing an iPod Touch for Diwali, so I’m really excited about news.
Found via: DailyApps
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wrote, on October 12th, 2007
It’s great to see Apple taking interest in the indian market. I bought an ipod classic recently and I love it. All 49gb of my music fits in snugly and am so happy.
Post pics of your touch. I just wanna try out how the touch screen is.
wrote, on October 12th, 2007
Thats good news. I was planning to get a Macbook before going to college.
wrote, on October 12th, 2007
Well I have heard that Apple stores were there in India previously and they were closed after literally no sales? Is that true? If Apple has be get success in India, they need to price their products correctly.
wrote, on October 12th, 2007
Nirmal: I’ve been closely watching Apple’s moves in India for the past 4 years or so. And as far as I know, Apple never really took an strong initiative like launching Apple Store (until this new announcement) in India. But yeah, Apple Resellers have been doing great business by keeping huge profits.
wrote, on October 12th, 2007
Anirudh: I was planing to get my iPod Touch this weekend, but after I read this news. I put my plans on hold, until the end of this month. I’ll post them to Flickr, as soon as I get it.
wrote, on October 12th, 2007
Apple had a dealer network in India earlier, isnt it ? I dont think this would succeed.
In India, almost anyone who wants something called a computer goes for Microsoft / Intel / AMD.
Those of the few well-informed (and well paid) users who want Apple, would get one anyway from the previous dealer network.
Apple is a good innovator, agreed. But they fail at the last mile. They suck bigtime at marketing and overall sturdiness of their products (I have seen quite a few scratched and damaged iPods) . As a buyer, I would never want to tie myself to an Apple computer , whose maintenance and upgrade would be costly apart from the high initial cost and fewer apps/games available.
PS Most Apple fanboys I know (dunno any fangirls yet) buy and use Windows computers
In India, Apple fanboyism is just about admiration, it has never translated into better sales.
wrote, on October 12th, 2007
hey thilak,
Thats cool to hear ! If i-phone sold in India then who is gonna be its service provider ? Airtel ?
wrote, on October 12th, 2007
Shadows: Where are you from? because here in Mangalore, I find Apple fanboys who actually use Macbook Pro and iPods. Regarding sturdiness, I’m not sure about Apple Computer Related Products, but iPhone and iPods are pretty sturdy. I’ve dropped my video iPod some 12 times, but nothing much has happened to it.
wrote, on October 12th, 2007
Seriously i dont think that Apple would be able to make sales like US , here in India people are tend to spend wisely..
and Apple products are just too pricey for an average Indian and compare it with the competetion with music phones and windows
wrote, on October 12th, 2007
Shashank: Maybe, the only reason why Apple Products are so pricey is because Apple Resellers keep huge profits in each product sold. I really like Dell in this aspect, their business model is direct to the consumer. No middle men!
wrote, on October 13th, 2007
@Shashank: Apple products are costly, but not the Mac. Just look at the software iLife suite that comes with the OSX. Its amazing and so is GarageBand. When you consider the bundle and the design of the Apple products, it really isn’t that costly…
Hope they dont close the shop like they did for their support center. They operated for a month in Bangalore and then left the place!!
wrote, on October 15th, 2007
Thilak,
From Pune !!! The place with the highest PC penetration in India !
Well, maybe it sells well in Bangalore and Mangalore. I havent seen much Apple stuff in Mumbai or Pune (if we exclude iPods)
wrote, on October 15th, 2007
Thilak,
I probably touched a raw nerve here. Sorry about that. But what do you think is the reason Apple does not sell inspite of its superior products ?
I listed the reasons
1. Higher cost
2. Pricier after-sale service
3. Lower maintainability / costlier upgrades.
These are the biggest reasons that turn the decision in favour of Windows computers, IMHO.
I have seen umpteen number of people who admire Apple, but buy a Compaq notebook instead of Apple. Why??
I just said what I observed. No offence meant
wrote, on October 15th, 2007
shadows: Yeah, Apple is having some serious marketing problems in India. Most computer users are so tied up to Windows, that they aren’t willing to try any other operating system. I totally agree with all the three points mentioned by you!
wrote, on November 5th, 2007
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This offer is for a limited period and shipping costs will be borned by buyer. At RS3,800 each you get to enjoy the latest Apple productivity software. Drop me an email “quality@pacific.net.sg. These are BRAND new, original, sealed products from Apple Australia.
wrote, on November 11th, 2007
hi everybody,,,if anybody knws where is the new apple store in bangalore,,its a long time im looking for that ,,but not able to find it…plz let me knw if u knw the addrss,,thx mates
wrote, on June 4th, 2008
Hey Guys … I am trying to buy a MacBook Pro right now … The Reliance iStore is open and I must admit they have pathetic staff - no knowledge at all … I am sure Apple would not have hired them! I hope this is not the Apple Store that they are planning to open in India. I have seen a Apple Store in SFo … iStore is no where close to the product and technical knowledge the staff has over there … Infact the dealer network is still around (and ripping our pockets) but at-least they are a little better in answering your questions (though not as expected) … Please someone confirm that iStore is NOT Apple Store that the inital post was talking about and we still have a ray of hope!
wrote, on July 10th, 2008
i got an apple mobile sent by brother from US.
not able to use give any advice on this….
wrote, on July 15th, 2008
@Mehboob: You need to get ZiPhone from http://www.ziphone.org. Hope that helped.
wrote, on August 25th, 2008
Hey….
Its a great news, that Apple stores are coming to India.
I am eagerly waiting for that store to open here;
so that can buy Ipod Nano from there.