The opening of Apple’s flagship store in Mumbai on April 18 was nothing short of a festival — with thumping nashik dhols, dancing employees, and cheering fans who had waited long hours just for a glimpse of or selfie with Tim Cook, the tech giant’s CEO.
Customers had swarmed in from Pune, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, and other cities, waiting with bated breath since the dawn of a rather hot and humid Tuesday outside the store at Jio World Drive mall in Mumbai’s Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC). Some had taken leave from work and hopped on flights to get here. Some had designed special T-shirts and brought legacy Apple products hoping to get them signed by Cook. Some even applied for jobs at the store.
Nothing was off limits for these fans, at least 350 of whom had queued up on either side of the triangular store’s entrance ahead of its opening at 11 am.
Takuya Takedayashi, 38, had flown in from Bengaluru just to get early access to the store. Takedayashi, a Japanese national, has been working in India for six years and has been an Apple loyalist for 20.
“In Japan, almost 70 percent of the population uses an iPhone. I make it a point to visit the main Apple stores of all the countries I go to,” he told Moneycontrol.
Kushal Shah, 28, a chartered accountant and investment professional, even tried to get a job at the new store, but said that his application was rejected. Shah became an Apple loyalist when he started reading about its late Co-Founder and CEO Steve Job’s life and work.
“I started reading up about Steve Jobs and his work following his death in 2011. There was no looking back for me after that. I have been buying Apple products ever since and run `The Apple Blog’,” Shah told Moneycontrol.
Gautam Sharma, 29, a designer from New Delhi, flew in the night before to attend the launch although the Delhi store is opening on April 20. “I could not wait for it, after all this is the first store,” said Sharma.
These Apple aficionados are now hoping to finally get new products and models on the day of their release, along with the rest of the world. Users also expect to find better after-sales service post the launch of this store in the centrally-located business and recreational hub of Mumbai.
Tim Cook’s arrival
Minutes before the doors opened, Cook’s entry was marked with lively Nashik dhol beats matching traditional Maharashtrian tunes, much to the excitement of customers and the Apple staff. After seven years, this is Cook’s second visit to India.
Chants of “B-K-C! B-K-C!” filled the air as crowds joined the staff in cheering for Apple as Cook opened the doors and welcomed his customers. He took selfies, signed autographs, and chatted with star-struck fans as they came into the store. Cook, however, didn’t speak or address the media.
Post his visit, Cook wrote on Twitter, “The energy, creativity, and passion in Mumbai is incredible! We are so excited to open Apple BKC — our first store in India.”
Hemanthsai Konatham, an excited 20-year-old YouTuber from Pune, managed to get multiple pictures with the Apple chief. “I am so excited, I can’t believe this, I have a number of pictures with Tim Cook!” he gushed. Konatham rode down on his two-wheeler overnight from Pune to reach the venue.
Just like Konatham, some other Apple loyalists had also camped outside the store from the night before. Purav Mehta, a product manager from Mumbai, is now in the pictures and videos of every media company as he was the first customer in the queue to meet Cook and get his 10-year-old iPod signed.
But the show stealer was Sajid, who showed up early in the queue with a 1984 Macintosh. A UI / UX designer by profession, his popularity on social media today was probably only second to Cook himself.
“I have used everything: desktops, laptops, the candy-coloured iMacs, the sleek IMacs, the G4, the G3, and so on. I have been using the entire range. It is a big moment for all Apple users in India,” Sajid told Moneycontrol.
The design
The two-storied glass store opened to reveal Apple’s signature minimalistic design and striking display of products. The detailing of the interiors, handcrafted and sourced from different parts of the country, is striking. The store features a triangular, handcrafted timber ceiling that extends beyond the glass façade.
There was a 14-metre-long, single-piece stainless steel staircase that connected the ground floor to the mezzanine floor of the store, which had the famous Genius Bar that provides technical support for its products and apps.
Apple has said that the Mumbai store is going to be one of its most sustainable stores globally as it’ll be carbon neutral and work on 100 percent renewable energy.
For aficionados, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity to witness their favourite tech brand in all its glory in their home country.
“I will tell my kids that I was there to witness the opening of the first Apple store in India," said 22-year-old Roshan Katwe, one of the hundreds in the crowds that had flocked to the store today.
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