Following some sweeping reforms in the Foreign Direct Investment sector by the Government of India yesterday, Apple will finally be able to open its retail stores in India!
That is some great news, folks!! We don’t know about you, but we sure as hell are tripping out here! Team AppleSutra just broke out into a ridiculous victory dance when this news broke. We’re guessing Tim Cook must be feeling pretty jubilant himself.
The decision is potentially a game changer for Apple in India. With recent blows to Apple plans, the company was looking out and under. This is indeed a lifeline in disguise.
I don’t think I understand. Please give me a Game of Thrones reference
Okay. Let me put it in a way you’ll understand: If Apple were the Starks, standing at the gates of Winterfell, then these new reforms are the Knights of the Vale! (Yeah, now you get it, don’t you?)
I was under the impression Apple already has stores in India!
You’re right. It does. But those are third party stores. The stores that are owned and run by Apple are iconic displays of style and class. They guarantee a completely different experience altogether. The stores we currently have in India are cheap knock-offs in comparison. Sarojini Market ka maal, if you may.
How are the new rules helpful?
Apple will be exempt from the local sourcing laws which dictate that 30% of all the produce has to be sourced locally. Please note that this exemption is for the first three years only.
The government has also decided to give an additional five years of relaxation to those companies that produce “cutting edge” or “state of the art” products. The list of companies that fall under this category has still not been disclosed, so it is unclear if Apple falls into that bracket or not. If it does, the company would get a total of eight years of grace period.
Has the government and Apple been fighting lately? Why wasn’t I informed?
Um, actually we did inform you. We wrote a series of articles on the topic. You can read them all by clicking on this topic tag: Apple Stores in India.
Or, you could just read this summary post: Apple vs Indian Government: The Fight Continues.
So as you can see, the fight has been going on for some time now. Each side dealt blows, each side took a few hits. Overall, Apple was looking pretty beat, but this seems to have turned things around a bit for them.
Hopefully, this will be the first of many such happy tidings to come. Here’s to hoping that Apple grows strong in India. And here’s to hoping that someone will tell us why the heck we’re playing a bilateral series with Zimbabwe!
Peace out!
