But the challenges suggest it will be years before India is anything close to a major earnings pillar for the US tech giant. "In India, carriers in general sell virtually no phones and it is out in retail - and retail is many, many different small shops," Cook told analysts recently. He said Apple sees opportunities to expand in the market as operators roll out 4G services. "With China saturating, everybody has no choice but to look at India, and Apple's rivals have been strengthening there in the last two years. "Now it's for Apple to talk about their plans," the Modi aide said.Apple declined to comment on what Cook achieved on his Asia trip.Apple's brand awareness ranks 10th in India, trailing Samsung, Sony, Blackberry and some local rivals.

Source: Economic Times May 24, 2016 03:30 UTC