Did you know Apple has had a presence in India for over 20 years? After all that time, the company is finally launching its online store in India on September 23. However, so far we have been purchasing Apple devices through e-commerce websites, and authorised resellers in brick and mortar stores. So why does it matter that Apple will soon have an official retail presence in the country? Well, let’s take a look at the advantages offered by an official Apple online store as compared to an e-commerce website, or an offline reseller.
This is very important to me, and I suppose to a lot of customers. While Apple has offered configuration options in the US and other countries where it has its retail presence for years, India has been left behind. Configuration options for a 13-inch MacBook Pro on Apple’s US online store
However, with the Apple online store, the company is bringing configuration options to India as well. So the next time you buy a new Mac, you can configure it with your preferred amount of RAM and storage.
Apple will also offer engraving in India now. So, you will be able to get text or emoji engravings on your AirPods, iPad, or Apple Pencil. In fact, on AirPods, you can get text engravings in English, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Marathi, Tamil, and Telugu.
Update:
Buying an Apple device as a student entitles you to a student discount. In most cases in India, you can only avail this at a physical retail store. However, with Apple’s online store, you will be able to apply for a student discount and get your preferred Apple devices at a discounted rate.
This applies to current students, their parents, lecturers, and staff. So chances are you’ll be able to get a nice discount anyway.
I’m sure you’re all aware about Apple Care. It’s the warranty that comes with your Apple device. However, it doesn’t cover things like accidental damage, and believe me, you will need it at some point in your device’s life. Fortunately, Apple provides Apple Care+ for an additional price which covers accidental damage and extends your warranty to three years (two years in India).
Remember how I pointed out that a lot of times listings on online websites are of fake products, and sometimes from fraudulent sellers? Heck, you must remember all those stories about people buying iPhones or other devices and getting bricks and bars of soaps in their packages, right?
With the official Apple store, you wouldn’t need to worry about that. After all, you’re buying directly from the brand that makes the product, and it doesn’t depend on third party resellers to sell the product to you anymore. That means you can shop online with more confidence, which is great.
While Apple’s online store is currently not live in India, these are the benefits that Apple itself claims it will offer in the country, plus, some of these opinions are based on how the US online store works. Obviously, once the store officially launches on September 23, I will be taking a good look at how it works and all the options it offers and updating this article accordingly, so make sure you check back for more details.
That said, it’s certain that an official online store will definitely make it easier to shop for Apple products in India. As customers, we will get more choices, more configuration options, and of course, customisation options as well, with engraving choices and gift wrapping.
