Apple is in India for next 1,000 years: Tim Cook

Underlining his commitment to the world's fastest-growing smartphone market, Apple Inc chief executive Tim Cook on Friday said, "I am looking at India holistically and we are here for the next 1,000 years."

The 55-year-old chief of the Cupertino-based tech giant was in the final leg of his four-day India tour and is slated to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi today.

In an interview with news channel NDTV, Cook said, "India is much more strategic. We are thinking about a really long innings in the country. We are here for next thousand years. We are not making the most but the best. We will never make a product that we are not proud of. ''

"Apple has a bright future for retail in India. We will sell pre-owned phones with new warranty. We want India to have best Apple products," he stressed, adding that he instantly felt like he belongs here.

Considering that Apple has already been denied permission to sell pre-owned phones in India, he seemed strangely confident on the issue.

Asked about China, Cook said "India is different than China," but did not elaborate. He said that the announcements about an apps development facility in Bengaluru and Maps Development Centre in Hyderabad were just the beginning.

At an event in the capital, telecom minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said, "I complement the Apple chief executive for a public commitment of 1,000 years in India. We are ready to work together."

Cook later met Sunil Mittal, chairman of Bharti Airtel, India's leading telecommunications company which was the first to launch 4G in India and is set to offer it countrywide (See: Apple's Cook meets Airtel's Sunil Mittal, Hike's Kavin).

It is reported that their meeting at Airtel's office lasted almost an hour and top officials of Airtel including Gopal Vittal, managing director and chief executive (India and South Asia) were also present.

Kavin Mittal, founder and chief executive of Hike Messenger, also made a presentation to Cook.

 "You will see a reliable signal quality after 4G, which is critical for India's progress," Cook had earlier told NDTV.

According to a recent report by global investment advisory CLSA, India's 3G and 4G subscribers have tripled to 120 million in 24 months and as affordability increases, the market will expand to 300 million by March 2018.

These 300 million subscribers will account for 60 per cent of sector revenues. Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio, the only operators with pan-India 4G spectrum in 2,300 MHz, will lead this opportunity.

"We are also planning to bring Apple Pay to India," Cook also told NDTV. Apple Pay is a mobile payment and digital wallet service that lets users make payments through Apple devices.

''There is nothing like having customers telling neighbours you should buy Apple products. Word of mouth is the best marketing," he observed.