New Delhi, Apr 20 (EFE).- Apple CEO Tim Cook on Thursday inaugurated the company's first physical retail store in New Delhi, in the presence of a huge crowd eager to view the launch and the renowned tech entrepreneurs.

Cook inaugurated the store in Saket, a wealthy southern neighborhood New Delhi, two days after opening the company's first store in India in the western city of Mumbai, also in the presence of thousands of fans. Apple has been trying to gain a foothold in the world's second largest mobile phone market.

"I've been here since 8 am in the morning, there's a long line but it's Tim Cook, we have to meet him and meet him in person," Aayush Jain, a capital resident, told EFE in the inauguration ceremony ahead of the 10 am launch.

"I think I am the biggest Apple fanboy here in Delhi," including an iBook G3 1999 edition - the first laptop that came with wifi connectivity - first generation iphone, the first ipad and the hidden gem: the Apple Watch series 0, Jain boasted.

Until last week, the Cupertino-based firm only sold products in India online or through e-commerce platforms or resellers, among others.

However, the opening of its first physical stores will allow users to access their products and their technical service in person.

During his ongoing India visit, the Apple CEO met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and assured him of increasing Apple investments in India as part of an ambitious growth plan.

The visit, Cook's second trip to India since he succeeded Apple founder Steve Jobs, marks 25 years of the company's presence in India.

The opening of its physical stores will improve Apple's operational capacity in India, from the manufacturing process in several plants spread across India, to direct sales to customers.

The company's growing presence in India is part of a strategy through which the tech giant is trying to reduce its reliance on neighboring China.

Beyond the direct sale of its products, Apple's projects in India include a training center for mobile app developers for its iOS operating system, located in the southern city of Bangalore, and the assembly of their smartphones in plants in the country, which generate almost 900,000 jobs.

The company tripled its iPhone manufacturing in the last fiscal year, according to a report published by Bloomberg that cited sources in the knowhow.

Although the high price of Apple products has kept it out of the top five most popular phone companies in the country, the company dominates the "luxury" sector with a market share of 60 percent in 2022, according to the International Data Corporation. EFE

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