Apple Inc. is poised to open an online store for the first time in the fast-growing smartphone market of India next month, according to a person with knowledge of the matter, taking advantage of a relaxation of once-strict prohibitions against foreign direct retail. The online store will be ready for operations just ahead of the festive Dussehra-Diwali spending season, according to the person, who asked not to be named discussing confidential plans. The iPhone maker, which lobbied New Delhi for years to get around regulations that force companies such as Apple to source 30% of components locally, had originally planned to start online sales within months after the government relaxed the rule last year. Those plans were disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.
(Bloomberg, August 25)
Jene Park's key takeaways:

Things are finally coming together in India with Apple’s made-in-India strategy and low-cost iPhones helping the company to make further inroads in the world’s number two giga-market.
The company’s dominance in India across the high-end coupled with declining ASPs driven by the SE 2020 will support online growth, as the company also pushes into brick and mortar with another (rumoured) outlet opening in Bangalore.
We see 2021 as pivotal, with the company likely to focus on the $250-450 range with the SE, as well as older flagships.

Apple Plans to Start Selling Online in India Next Month

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