Mumbai: The yearning of Apple product fans for the tech giant’s retail store in India finally turned into a reality on Tuesday when Mumbai beat Delhi in getting the country’s maiden store. Scores of loyal customers thronged the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) as Apple Inc Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook opened the doors of the much-awaited store, stirring the crowd’s excitement to the next level. The store launch marks 25 years of Apple’s presence in India.
The adulation of fans could be gauged by the fact that several of them came from different states for the event. Not to mention, their impatient wait for the store opening as many reached the venue a day before and camped in the BKC environs to be among the firsts to witness the event.
Three fans waited for more than 12 hours to enter first in the store
A loyalist, who preferred to be called just Purva, waited for 15 hours for Cook to sign a 10-year-old unopened iPod. His two friends – Kartik from Jodhpur and Madhav from Pune – also waited half a day to make sure they were among the first to enter the store. All three had slept on a bench outside the store and used food delivery apps to get their dinner the night before.
The alacrity of customers prompted Cook to tweet that “the energy, creativity, and passion in Mumbai is incredible”. He was further amazed as one of the customers showed up with a vintage Mac which was launched in 1984 at the hands of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs (see page 1). “I brought this (Mac SE) just to show Apple’s journey since 1984. It has been a long journey,” said the fan who is a designer by profession.
The company’s presence in India also thrilled its staff as several employees wearing green-coloured tees cheered as Cook stepped out of the vibrant store. Broadly in coherence with the style pattern at other global outlets, the BKC store is also inspired by the theme of the city's iconic kaali-peeli taxis.
About the Apple store in Mumbai
The Mumbai store is an architectural marvel with a 26ft high single piece of glass covering 28,000 sq ft of retail space; 4.5lakh individual wood works cover the ceiling and stone walls have been sourced from Rajasthan.
With his trademark grin and Namaste, Cook floored the surging crowd and claimed that it’s one of Apple’s “most energy-efficient” outlets in the world with solar panels allowing it to run solely on renewable power.
The enthusiasm will continue to peak as Apple has announced its second retail store in Delhi. One of the fans present at the BKC said that he has already started planning to attend the ‘historic’ event in the national capital.
