As Cook begins his five-day tour in India, he announced the creation of a dedicated ecosystem to accelerate the development of startups in the southern Indian city of Bengaluru, formerly Bangalore.
Great to hear from some of India's top iOS developers today. Innovative apps and many ideas for the future! pic.twitter.com/ZhEfE7wNW7
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) 18 May 2016
The Cupertino-based firm said its first-ever iOS App Design and Development Centre will be established in the city, which is often billed as the "Silicon Valley" of India.
Tim Cook is here to promote Make* In India.
— Akshar (@AksharPathak) 18 May 2016
*Mac
In a press statement released by Cook, just kick-starting the visit, he said: "India is home to one of the most vibrant and entrepreneurial iOS development communities in the world. With the opening of this new facility in Bengaluru, we are giving developers access to tools which will help them create innovative apps for customers around the world."
Tim Cook starts India trip with visit to Siddhivinayak.
— Ramesh Srivats (@rameshsrivats) 18 May 2016
Next stop — Sabarimala. If he hears that the God there is called iAppa.
The venture will begin in early 2017 as Apple's engineers would work with vibrant Indian app developers to hone their skills.
Apple, which so far does not have its own retail stores in the country, is planning to introduce a flurry of other proposals. Cook is also set to the meet the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his whirlwind tour.
Tim Cook went to Siddhivinayak.
— Sorabh Pant (@hankypanty) 18 May 2016
Nice.
Makes up for all that Apple did to eliminate the mouse.
Likely on Cook's agenda is getting the government's approval to sell refurbished or second-hand iPhones in the mobile-loving country. New Delhi has so far stonewalled such measures fearing tech companies would dump their second-hand products in India.
If the proposal gets a thumbs-up, the iPhones will get a huge boost in the price-conscious Indian market — where the majority of cell-phones sold are at a price less than $150, while even lower-end iPhones are twice that amount.
Cook's may also be thinking of selling the idea of manufacturing Apple's products in the country under Modi's flagship policy of "Make in India."
The Taiwanese manufacturer Foxconn, official makers of Apple's devices, had earlier said they have plans to spend about $5 billion on everything ranging from research to manufacturing across India.
Twitter as usual did not miss the opportunity to have some fun.
