Iconic consumer technology company Apple’s first retail store in the country became operational in Mumbai on Tuesday with Chief Executive Tim Cook opening its doors for customers. 

Excitement levels were already very high over the last fortnight since the Cupertino, US-based company had announced its store opening at a mall in the Bandra-Kurla Complex business district in Mumbai. 

Amid loud cheering by the 100-odd staff members and others, Mr Cook emerged from inside the shop to open the doors and personally welcomed guests. 

The launch of the store in Mumbai will be followed by another one in New Delhi’s Saket on Thursday. 

The design of the Mumbai store has been inspired by the black-and-yellow taxis that are ubiquitous in the city. 

Until now, Apple products have been available in India either online or through a vast network of resellers. 

The new stores come at a time when Apple is trying to deepen its retail push in India, the world’s second largest smartphone market. The iPhone is still an aspirational product in the price-sensitive Indian market, where more than 95 per cent of smartphones are run on Google’s Android platform. 

India is also rising as a manufacturing base for the iPhone as Apple diversifies its supply chains away from China. India now accounts for 5 per cent of total iPhone production.