Apple looks to 4G, Bollywood for growth in India

Apple is pinning hopes on the emerging 4G telecom network and India's unique film culture to grow its business in the country and the technology bellwether could be reinventing itself to serve new creative markets.

At the same time the company is looking at new avenues of technology intervention, including in education, healthcare, etc.

Speaking to media after the announcement of Apple's development centres in Hyderabad and Bengaluru, Timothy Donald Cook, the first CEO of Apple to visit India, sees India as the next big bet, not just as a market but as a hub for all of Apple's activities.

With sales from markets like US and China slowing down and India opening possibilities for development of new apps, Apple is looking to India for growth in the long term.

Cook said he would partner with telecom operators in India to enhance the quality of services. Towards this the Apple CEO plans to meet with network operators and industrialists of India to have a better perspective.

Cook said Apple is looking at India as a partner across, not just for any one area, adding that manufacturing is something the company is looking at.

More importantly, Cook said, he is excited at the possibility of developing more technology that can intersect people in a number of ways, including in health and in education.

Since Apple has been in India for a while, the time is opportune now to scale up as the priorities of the country and the company are in line, Cook said.

India, he said, is not just a market to sell products, but is also a significant source of talent - not just for Apple but also the ITeS ecosystem.

Cook also said that despite the different market perspective in India, the fact remains that everyone wants the best products and that would help Apple grow in India.