Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook has underlined India’s growing importance for the US-based tech giant, calling it a “huge opportunity” and expressing strong optimism about the market’s long-term potential.
“I think it’s a huge opportunity for us. We’ve been focused on this for a while. It’s the second largest smartphone market in the world and the third largest PC market,” Cook said during the company’s second quarter 2026 earnings call on Thursday.
Responding to a question on India, Cook noted that Apple continues to hold a “modest share” in the country, even as it has been “extremely well” positioned for growth.
He pointed to India’s expanding middle class and the fact that a large share of customers are first-time Apple users, calling
it an ideal environment for the company’s expansion.
“Net-net, I’m over the moon excited about India,” he added.
Double-Digit Growth Across Products
Apple reported a 17 per cent rise in quarterly revenue to $111.2 billion, with Cook highlighting record March quarter performance across both developed and emerging markets. India stood out among regions delivering double-digit growth, alongside markets such as the US, Latin America, Greater China, Western Europe, Japan, and Southeast Asia.
For iPhones, Cook said, “we’re seeing double-digit growth in the majority of the markets we track from the US to Latin America to Greater China to Western Europe, to India to Japan to Southeast Asia.”
Mac revenue came in at $8.4 billion, up 6 per cent year-on-year, driven by new product launches, including the MacBook Neo. Chief Financial Officer Kevan Parekh said Mac sales saw double-digit growth in markets such as India and Indonesia.
iPad revenue also recorded double-digit expansion, particularly in India, Mexico, and Thailand.
Retail Expansion Picks Up Pace
Apple has been steadily strengthening its retail footprint in India. The company recently opened its sixth store in the country, launching a new outlet in Borivali in February—its second in Mumbai.
It now operates stores across New Delhi, Bengaluru, Pune, and Noida.
“It has been wonderful to see how we’ve continued to grow in India in recent years, part of our larger efforts to connect with even more customers in emerging markets all over the world,” Cook said.
Leadership Transition Announced
In a significant leadership shift, Apple recently announced that Cook will step down as CEO and transition to the role of executive chairman of the board.
John Ternus, currently senior vice-president of hardware engineering, will take over as CEO from September 1, 2026.
