As far as courtships go, Apple and India’s started with both playing hard to get. For years, while the tech giant sold hundreds of millions of iPhones globally, its presence in India, a potentially huge market, was minimal. The reason: India’s government required foreign firms to source 30% of their supplies from Indian companies. Wary of making such a big commitment, Apple instead relied on Indian distributors to sell its products, which meant lower profits and sometimes dodgy customer service.
Then, in 2016, after years of negotiations, the relationship between Apple and India suddenly thawed. India relaxed its rules for foreign companies, giving the green light for Apple to finally move in with an online store, retail outlets, and manufacturing plants.
