Apple’s [1] much-awaited online store[2] in India will be operational starting Q3 this year, a little longer than previously expected, a source familiar with the matter told TechCrunch.
The iPhone-maker said in August last year that it was “eager to serve [customers of India] online and in-store with the same experience and care that Apple customers around the world enjoy.”
While the company never shared a firm timeline on when the online and brick-and-mortar stores would be set up in India, it was originally aiming to start the online sales in the country in the first quarter of this year, the source said. (The Q1 launch timeline was first signaled by Bloomberg[3], which reported that the operations would begin “within months.”)
An Apple spokesperson was not immediately available for comment.
The source said the company was still working on the logistics of setting up the store and that the quarter between July and September was the new deadline. Apple CEO Tim Cook [4] would likely plan an India trip for the announcement, the source said.
The company’s first official physical store in India, to be situated in Mumbai, will take an additional few months of time for setting up and might not be ready by this year, the source said.
India, the world’s second largest smartphone market[5], eased sourcing norms for single-brand retailers last year[6], paving the way for companies like Apple to open online stores before they set up presence in the brick-and-mortar market.
“Apple has been struggling with online retail for years now. Finally the government adapted their rules to help them launch their own online store. But now they are unable...