NDTV's Rajiv Makhni in conversation with Apple CEO Tim Cook during his India visit
It's not every day that you wake up to a call from Apple's PR informing you that the CEO of one of the most valuable companies in the world will be spending three days with you. This one gets ticked off my bucket list!
Ten years after the iconic iPhone was launched in India, Apple's affable CEO, Tim Cook, was
embarking on a multi-city tour of the country. With
only me for company. I was to spend three days with him traveling all over the country.
So I've been asked numerous questions about my time with Tim Cook. Will Apple start manufacturing its expensive smartphones in India? Will the company make a billion-dollar investment and dethrone China as the manufacturing hub? And of course, the question which is the most difficult to answer - what's Tim Cook really like?
Well, Tim Cook is a man always on the go. Despite a long flight and almost no sleep, the Apple CEO was ready to visit
Mumbai's Siddhivinayak temple early morning and then headed straight to chat with enthusiastic start-up developers. And after this very traditional start to his journey, our next destination was Bollywood - a grand tour of Mehboob Studio with director Mukesh Bhatt and a
star-studded dinner at Shah Rukh Khan's house. Of course, one look at the trending photographs of the week across social media and you would know who got their precious selfie with Tim Cook that evening!
Apple CEO Tim Cook at the Siddhivinayak temple
He came, he saw, he conquered - in Hyderabad. The announcements - and the promises - made by Tim Cook made headlines as I caught them happening in front of my eyes. India became the map destination of the world with
Apple opening a development centre for digital maps in Hyderabad.
During our trip to Hyderabad, it was clear to me as we headed to the prolific G Narayanamma Institute of Technology and Science for Women, that women are HUGE fans of Mr Cook.
After Mumbai and Hyderabad, our last stop was of course, the capital. Tim Cook and I headed over to see one of India's Unicorns, the famous billion-dollar club members, for a quick chat and ask them what's on its wishlist from Apple? And it was in the Zomato office that I had a long chat with the man himself.
Apple CEO Tim Cook with Shah Rukh Khan and Sania Mirza. (Image credit: Sania Mirza/ Instagram)
Now let's answer all the questions on our minds. Will the iPhone be eventually manufactured in India? Well, it will, just not right away.
Will we have Apple-branded retail stores in India? Absolutely, despite some of the recent hiccups.
And what about refurbished iPhones being sold here? It's a controversial space but this is critical for Apple to crack an Android dominated market. But this is going to be tough for Apple to crack as the government isn't very thrilled with the idea.
Will they tie up with a service provider so that an iPhone can be bought subsidised on contract? Well, despite Tim Cook meeting with the Ambanis and the Mittals, I'm going to go for a no on this one.
Will we get a few start-ups get some big Apple dollars as an investment? This one is a yes.
And now for the final one. Will Tim Cook's grand visit to India change Apple's fortunes in the country?
Well, I'll say it's a move in the right direction and we'll see better pricing for Apple products. And I'm going say this -- we may even eventually see a 'made in India' iPhone.