Roger Fingas
In the middle of his ongoing trip to India, Apple CEO Tim Cook attended a dinner party on Wednesday night hosted by actor/producer Shah Rukh Khan, where several other Bollywood celebrities were also present.
Among these were members of the famous Bachchan family, including Amitabh, Jaya, Abhishek, and Aishwarya, Rediff said on Thursday. Some others were actor/director Aamir Khan, and musician A.R. Rahman, best known to Western audiences for his soundtrack to Slumdog Millionaire.
The party was hosted at Khan's bungalow. Photos show Cook arriving at the event, and later posing with guests.
The CEO is on a whirlwind tour of India, negotiating business deals and participating in various other meetings. The trip should culimnate this Saturday in a talk with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Apple has simultaneously used the tour to announce a Design and Development Accelerator in Bengaluru, and an Apple Maps development office in Hyderabad.
Cook has identified India as an important market for Apple, given its size and untapped profit potential. The iPhone has struggled to gain more than a 2 percent share of the local smartphone market though, something Cook has suggested could improve once new 4G networks go live in the region later this year. The main issue is likely price, since most smartphones sold in India cost $150 or less, and even Apple's latest "budget" iPhone — the iPhone SE — is almost four times as expensive.
Malcolm Owen
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8 Comments
Does Apple have their own corporate jet that they can use when flying around the world?
I would assume so. If they do, then how come we have never seen any pictures or articles about it. Does it have Apple logos on it?
JI does own it at least as of a couple years ago. He wanted the company to give it to him and I believe they said no so he bought it himself I don't think it has any logos. Corporate jets are easy enough to lease. I don't know why you would want to own one. There are plenty of good independent pilots out there. But I guess JI had designed the interior for Steve? Maybe he was attached.
A.R. Rahman!!
More on topic. I hope cook had a better experience than I did traveling in India. The "suburban" getaway region "near" Mumbai is very remote and the roads are horrendous. Beyond horrendous. Honking, banging, clanging, rattling, shouting, vehicles that don't require inspections. India is not for westerners. I say somewhat jokingly because I'm a pretty good sport and the experience was definitely an assault on the senses/ a test in patience. 150 miles takes four hours in a tin can of a car. Even the best cars in India are garbage with ZERO suspension. Apologies for offloading. There are things I loved about India and things I will never forget.![]()