Apple today previewed its newest store in India, Apple Hebbal, located in the technology capital of Bengaluru. The store will be Apple’s first in South India and third in the country, joining Apple BKC in Mumbai and Apple Saket in Delhi and the Apple Store online.
This caught my eye about inclusion for a city like Bengaluru, where people migrate from all states:
The store’s 70 team members hail from 15 states across India and are ready to help customers learn about Apple products, monthly financing options, and the Apple Trade In program. Customers can receive one-on-one support in-store with Personal Setup and switching to iOS.
Observations
- No major Apple executives visited, unlike Mumbai and Delhi. Tim Cook visited the opening of these stores in April 2023.
- Closer to the airport but alienated with the Silicon Valley of India: roughly 30 km from Whitefield, Electronic City, Outer Ring Road IT Corridor (Bellandur, Marathahalli, Sarjapur Road side).
- When someone in Bengaluru hears ‘Hebbal,’ a few common associations usually come to mind: one of the busiest and most traffic-heavy junctions in the city, often mentioned with frustration. This is especially true around the flyover, a notorious pain point for commuters. Curious choice of location, but North Bengaluru is growing.
- The store is technically not in Hebbal. Apple Hebbal is in Phoenix Mall of Asia, which is in Byatarayanapura, Yelahanka. Who’s to ask if it serves Apple? The bottleneck near the mall is even more notorious; it took me an hour once to come out of the mall’s service road during a weekend, which I regretted. Apple Store is known to be placed in architecturally striking and unique locations. Hebbal doesn’t sound like it.
Here’s the link to Apple Hebbal official wallpaper which is not unique to Bengaluru.
