Apple CEO Tim Cook praised India and its newest network provider Reliance Jio in the quarterly earnings call of the company on Wednesday. Apple posted 50% growth in iPhone sales in the last quarter as compared to the last year in the country.
During an earnings call in July, Cook had sounded hopeful in terms of opportunities for Apple in India citing impressive growth figures.
"Looking ahead, we're seeing some very exciting developments in India. Reliance Jio is rolling out a first of its kind all-IP network in India with 4G coverage in 18,000 cities and 200,000 villages across the country. They're offering a free year of service to purchasers of new iPhones and we're partnering with them to ensure great iPhone performance on their network," he said.
Earlier in the year, Cook visited India and did a bunch of things to gauge the market -- he partied with Shah Rukh Khan, attended an IPL match and met PM Narendra Modi. Apple also made announcements of opening up development centers in Hyderabad and Bengaluru during the team's visit.
Although when asked that if India can become the next China, Cook sounded skeptical. According to him, India still has potential for growth. Although 50% of its population is of under 25 years of age, per capita income matters a lot, he said. As before he mentioned the lack of infrastructure as well, but he seemed keen emphasizing the growing 4G network in the country.
"However, one of the key reasons for that is the infrastructure hasn't been there. But this year or this year and next year, there are enormous investments going in on 4G and we couldn't be more excited about that because it really takes a great network working with iPhone to produce that great experience for people," Cook said.
"Will it be as big as China? I think it's clear that the population of India will exceed China sometime in probably the next decade or so, maybe less than that. I think it will take longer for the GDP to rival it, but that's not critical for us to have a great success there," he added. It is notable that the iPhone 7 launched in India a month after it was announced in September.
While the perspective of Indian market looking very lucrative for Apple, globally the numbers have slumped. The company registered $46.9 billion of quarterly revenue as compared to $51.5 billion of last year.
O Tim COok Appleaud Reliance Jio As The Company Registers 50% Quaterly Growht