Apple CEO Tim Cook to Visit India, PM Modi This Week: Reports

Advertisement
By Reuters | Updated: 17 May 2016 18:14 IST
Apple Inc Chief Executive Tim Cook will visit India this week and meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the second leg of his Asian tour, two sources familiar with the matter said, as the company seeks to revive sluggish iPhone sales.

Cook's visit, which follows a trip to China, comes at a crucial time as Apple looks for new growth markets after posting its first ever decline in iPhone sales, and as India has denied it permission to sell refurbished phones - a move seen as key to appealing to price-sensitive local consumers.

The visit is Cook's first to India as the head of the US technology company, one of the sources said.

It was not immediately clear whether he would discuss importing refurbished iPhones with Indian government officials.

Advertisement

Apart from meeting Modi, Cook will also hold meetings with employees and partners, the source said, adding he would fly to India on Tuesday.

Advertisement

The sources declined to be named as the plan is not public yet. Apple declined to provide details of Cook's schedule in India.

Cook is visiting China after announcing a $1 billion investment in Chinese ride-hailing app Didi Chuxing.

His visit there also comes at a time when Apple is facing some setbacks in its most important overseas market.

Advertisement

From weakening smartphone sales to the loss of an iPhone trademark dispute and the suspension of some of its online entertainment services, Apple has faced a flurry of challenges in China in recent weeks.

Cook planned to meet high-level Chinese government officials, a source familiar with the matter said this month.

Advertisement

In India, Apple is looking to set up its first retail outlet, as it only has about a 2 percent market share. But its sales there surged 56 percent in the first three months of this year, driven mainly by cheaper older-generation devices such as the iPhone 5s.

More than 100 million smartphones were sold in India last year and the market is expected to grow by 25 percent this year, making India one of the fastest growing smartphone markets in the world.

Since his election in 2014, Modi has courted US tech companies as part of his strategy to bring jobs to India.

He met Cook last year during a high-profile visit to Silicon Valley, which included a 'town hall' at Facebook headquarters with Mark Zuckerberg and a round table meeting with other CEOs including Google's Sundar Pichai and Microsoft's Satya Nadella.

© Thomson Reuters 2016

 

Get your daily dose of tech news, reviews, and insights, in under 80 characters on Gadgets 360 Turbo. Connect with fellow tech lovers on our Forum. Follow us on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News for instant updates. Catch all the action on our YouTube channel.

Further reading: Apple, Mobiles, Tim Cook, iPhone
Advertisement

Related Stories

Popular Mobile Brands
  1. Poco X8 Pro, Poco X8 Pro Max to Launch on This Date
  2. Samsung Galaxy M17e 5G India Launch Set for March 17: Features
  3. SanDisk Extreme Fit USB Type-C Flash Drive Launched in India at This Price
  4. Tim Cook Reveals the Secret Behind Apple's Success, Says Can't Be Replicated
  5. Poco C85x 5G Key Features Revealed a Day Ahead of Launch in India
  1. NASA’s Webb Telescope Confirms Asteroid 2024 YR4 Will Safely Pass the Moon in 2032
  2. ChatGPT Adult Mode Delayed Again as OpenAI's 'Code Red' Reportedly Ends
  3. Lava Bold 2 5G India Launch Date Announced; Confirmed to Feature Under-Display Fingerprint Scanner
  4. Realme Note 80 Launched With 6,300mAh Battery, 6.74-Inch Display: Price, Specifications
  5. Anthropic’s Claude Finds 22 Vulnerabilities in Mozilla Firefox in Just Two Weeks
  6. Samsung Galaxy Smartphones Get Inactivity Restart Security Feature With Latest Update: Report
  7. Poco C85x 5G Key Specifications, Features Revealed a Day Ahead of Launch in India
  8. Rooster Now Available for Streaming Online: What You Need to Know About its Plot, Cast, and More
  9. Bhartha Mahasayulaku Wignyapthi OTT Release Date Reportedly Revealed: When and Where to Watch Ravi Teja’s Romantic Drama Online?
  10. Ghost Elephants Out on OTT: Know Where to Watch This Biographical Film Online
Download Our Apps
Available in Hindi
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2026. All rights reserved.