CEO Tim Cook says India is at the tipping point, Apple is bullish about AI

Apple CEO Tim Cook is optimistic about the Indian market, stating that India is at a tipping point and that Apple is poised to have some good growth in the country. In an exclusive interview with India Today, Cook expressed excitement about Apple's plans in India, including local manufacturing, online and offline stores.

"India is at a tipping point and it feels great to be here. You can feel the vibrancy, dynamism. The feeling that anything here is possible," Cook told India Today in Mumbai. Hours earlier, the Apple CEO opened the doors of Apple's first offline store in India, and welcomed customers who had queued up at the store since early morning.

Cook gave a nod to Apple fans in his talk with India Today. "There is a huge Apple community in India," he said. "We brought the online store a few years ago, a retail store, and expanded the retail presence on Thursday in Delhi. We have manufacturing here. We have an extraordinary developer community in India."

On Apple's future plans in India, Cook didn't discuss the specifics. But he said that India was important for Apple. "India has its own journey and culture. We really need to understand the local culture to do well in a country like India. So we are trying to bring our best in India," said Cook.

Apple on Tuesday opened its first retail store in Mumbai, and is set to open another store in Delhi on Thursday. Cook received a warm welcome from fans at the Apple Store inauguration in Mumbai and hopes for a similar experience in Delhi on April 20.

In the coming months and years, Apple is hoping to explore different ways to expand its presence across the country. This includes local manufacturing of iPhone models, with plans to assemble Pro models in India in addition to the base models. There are also reports that AirPods will be manufactured locally in India. It is also said Apple's partner Foxconn has plans to invest $700 million on a new plant in India to ramp up local manufacturing of iPhones.

Cook's visit to India and Apple's focus on the Indian market signify the company's efforts to tap into the country's growing consumer base and further establish its presence.

In addition to local manufacturing, Cook emphasised that Apple was bullish about artificial intelligence (AI), a key technology in many of Apple's products. He mentioned features such as ECG and fall detection in the Apple Watch that utilize AI. Cook stated that Apple would continue to be at the forefront of artificial intelligence.

Cook acknowledged the growing competition in the AI space, with companies like Google and Microsoft already launching AI-powered chatbots such as Bard and Bing AI. Even Elon Musk has announced his work on an AI tool called TruthGPT. However, Cook's confidence in Apple's position in the AI landscape was evident as he expressed Apple's commitment to staying ahead in this field.