India's first Apple Store teased before Tuesday's grand opening

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
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Ahead of Tuesday's opening, Apple has given a sneak peek into its Apple BKC store in Mumbai, showing off a handcrafted timber ceiling and its energy efficiency credentials.

Outside Apple BKC
Outside Apple BKC [Apple]


Apple will be opening its first Apple Store location in Mumbai on Tuesday, with customers able to visit the outlet at the Bandra Kurla Complex. Before its official opening, Apple has shared photographs of the retail outlet.

Sporting large glass walls and high ceilings, the store features a tiled ceiling made from wood. All the triangular tiles are hand-crafted, made from 408 pieces of timber, and with a total of 1,000 tiles across the entire ceiling.

The tiled ceiling of Apple BKC is hand-crafted. [Apple]
The tiled ceiling of Apple BKC is hand-crafted. [Apple]


The wood theme continues throughout, with over 450,000 timber elements in total. At the front are two stone walls sourced from Rajasthan, and to the right, a 14-meter-long stainless steel staircase to the cantilevered mezzanine.

A wide shot showing the inside of Apple BKC [Apple]
A wide shot showing the inside of Apple BKC [Apple]


Over 100 employees will be working at the store, capable of speaking over 20 languages. For customers who don't want much interaction, there's also an Apple Pickup kiosk.

Sessions at Apple BKC [Apple]
Sessions at Apple BKC [Apple]


For the Tuesday opening, a Today at Apple series titled "Mumbai Rising" will run, with the sessions including:

  • Music Lab: Deep Listening in Urban Spaces with Sandunes

  • Photo Lab: Portraits of Resistance with Prarthna Singh

  • Design Lab: Every Poster Tells a Story with Boomranng Studio

  • Art Lab: Drawing Homage to Mumbai with Kohla

As part of Apple's push for energy efficiency, the store is designed to be one of the most energy-efficient in the world, thanks to the use of a dedicated solar array. Without any reliance on fossil fuels, the store runs on 100 percent renewable energy and is operationally carbon neutral.

Solar panels used to power Apple BKC [Apple]
Solar panels used to power Apple BKC [Apple]


"At Apple, our customers are at the center of everything we do, and our teams are excited to celebrate this wonderful moment with them as we open our first retail store in India," said Deirdre O'Brien, Apple's senior vice president of Retail. "Apple BKC is a reflection of Mumbai's vibrant culture and brings together the best of Apple in a beautiful, welcoming space for connection and community."

Apple BKC opens on Tuesday, April 18, at 11 a.m. IST.

It won't be Apple's only store in India for long, as Apple Saket in New Delhi will be opening soon.

Read on AppleInsider

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 8
    clemynxclemynx Posts: 1,552member
    There are slums a few hundred meters from there. Mumbai and India in general are so shitty. I can tell you because I live there. I can send you pictures of the store next week if you like. 
    watto_cobrawaveparticle
  • Reply 2 of 8
    ddawson100ddawson100 Posts: 515member
    clemynx said:
    There are slums a few hundred meters from there. Mumbai and India in general are so shitty. I can tell you because I live there. I can send you pictures of the store next week if you like. 
    What do you think of all the heritage parts of the store? This story and a previous one about Apple BKC make it sound like they're acknowledging and incorporating a lot of  local culture here. I don't know what the rules are on sharing pics but yes, always more pictures as far as I'm concerned.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 8
    clemynxclemynx Posts: 1,552member
    Oh I am not criticizing Apple at all here. It’s just that India is growing with gigantic wealth differences, which dwarf what happens in Europe or even in the US. It might become the biggest economy in the world but it will still have huge slums everywhere. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 8
    waveparticlewaveparticle Posts: 1,497member
    20 languages? Do they have their own writing system? 
  • Reply 5 of 8
    muthuk_vanalingammuthuk_vanalingam Posts: 1,335member
    waveparticle said:
    20 languages? Do they have their own writing system? 
    Yes, of course.
  • Reply 6 of 8
    ddawson100ddawson100 Posts: 515member
    muthuk_vanalingam said:
    waveparticle said:
    20 languages? Do they have their own writing system? 
    Yes, of course.

    People in some places in the world only learn about countries and cultures when their country goes to war with them, or you know, when an Apple Store opens there. haha. But really, learning about other cultures is a great thing no matter how it happens. Just some gentle teasing here.
  • Reply 7 of 8
    chutzpahchutzpah Posts: 392member
    waveparticle said:
    20 languages? Do they have their own writing system? 
    There's hundreds of languages in China too!
  • Reply 8 of 8
    waveparticlewaveparticle Posts: 1,497member
    chutzpah said:
    waveparticle said:
    20 languages? Do they have their own writing system? 
    There's hundreds of languages in China too!
    I am talking about writing system. There are two in China, simplified and traditional which is used by Taiwan. So does the 20 languages in India have their own writing system?
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