We thought we could get our Wizard with Words to give a provocative answer, but that’s something that can never ever happen. Here’s the April 25 edition of Das ka Dum with Dr Bhaskar Das. Read on…

If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar or click here: https://www.mxmindia.com/category/columns/das-ka-dum/

Q. There is a lot of brouhaha about Apple opening two stores in India. Is it really that big a news development or is there more you would like to see from the digital giant?

A. It’s too early to predict all the possible outcomes of the launch of Apple stores in India. The buzz is in sync with the cult status of the brand globally. So, the brouhaha is expected. Mr Tim Cook, through his perfectly orchestrated meetings with both VIPs and not-so-VIPs, has further accentuated the aura of Apple as a brand and Tim Cook as the CEO-as-good-as-a-Head-of-a-State.

I can imagine some immediate macro gains from these micro store openings. One immediate benefit is pretty straightforward viz more quality job opportunities for Indians (public domain reports suggest that Apple employees are more qualified than a typical retail outlet and their salary levels are also higher than the usual ones). Secondly, the arrival of official Apple retail stores in India is expected to have impact on the country’s economy too. As more Apple Stores get opened, across the country, more workforce ate expected to be required to operate them, and hence more people will get job opportunities in the country. Besides, these initial steps might be followed by starting production of their phones in India and reduce over dependence on China.

I admit that these possible developments are going to happen in future and might be dependent on how the two retail outlets perform. But why not be optimistic as India is the new flavour for business destination in the global market?!