Is Apple beefing up attempts to make more headway in India? Could be. The company has decided to use India as “a major outsourcing destination for the development of business applications to build an eco-system around Apple platforms,” according to a Bombay Financial Express article.
The story said that Apple recently entered into contracts with leading Indian software companies for joint development of business software applications for Mac OS X. The company is also working with other Indian independent software vendors to port their applications on Apple platform, the Financial Express said.
“I cannot name the companies because of contractual obligations but we have entered into contracts with a few top Indian software companies for development of applications on the Mac platform,” Apple manager for India and Saarc countries, B Mahendran, told the Financial Express. “We have started this process just a couple of months ago and (it still) has a long way to go. This would result in larger volumes of outsourcing work to India in the future … These companies will develop applications and tools for Apple as well as build their own applications on Apple platform to market them on their own.”
Mahendran told the newspaper that the launch of Mac OS X has opened the floodgates of opportunity for the company in terms of its acceptability and adaptability in the enterprise segment. India, with its software development skills and capabilities, could contribute a lot in creating Mac compatible software applications, he told the Financial Express.
Apple will also look into specific verticals and identify applications to be ported to the Mac, according to the article. The company plans on taking the 2,500 Mac OS X native applications and make them available in India and Saarc countries through their own distribution channel, Mr Mahendran said.
Another Financial Express article reported that Apple Computer International is putting the finishing touches on plans to enter the retail segment in India for the first time. The retail segment will be serviced by its existing distributors — Ingram Micro and Neo Teric — which also cater to around 80 resellers countrywide, the article said.
“The entry into the retail arena is being actively considered,” Parminder Singh, marketing manager of Apple, told the Financial Express. “Presence in retail arena makes sense now as we’ve a fairly strong desktop portfolio With the induction of three new iMacs, in addition to the existing two iMacs.”
Meanwhile, the Times of India reports that Apple introduced the new flat panel iMac in India on Tuesday.
“The new range is designed for the home segment and will help in accessing software for digital photography, music and video,” Jai Chulani, Apple’s worldwide product manager, told reporters.
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