Apple fans in India can now start rejoicing as they might be getting closer to visiting the company's very own Indian store soon. It has just been revealed that the Cupertino company is now applying for official government permission to launch its first branded retail store in India. This is a big step that the company is taking, considering that it is targeting an expansion in one of the biggest tech markets in the world that is home to about 1.2 billion people. This move also comes as it is observed that the market in China is slowing down.

The application was first reported in an Indian business newspaper, and later on a spokesperson for the company has confirmed that the company has indeed submitted an application to the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion. However, when asked for a further statement on how many stores are planned to be opened in the country, the spokesperson refused to say anything more.

The move can also be seen as a part of catching up with the country. It has been observed in the past that the Cupertino company has not been very active in India. For the past years up to three or four years ago, the company has been reluctant to promote their products there. It was a bit cold, but it is now trying to make up for this, said Chairman of Technopark Arvind Singhal.

It is known that Indians love smartphones more than anyone in the world. The demand for such a device is insatiable in the country that most tech companies nowadays are determined to target them as their main smartphone consumer. This year alone, Chinese smartphone manufacturers, as well as local manufacturers, have been seen launching their handsets in the country one after the other in a bid to woo at least a percentage of the incredible amount of smartphone lovers there.

The number of smartphone consumers in the country can be just what the Cupertino company needs to boost its reportedly falling sales of their devices. If it does manage to get its stores in India, it is said that most of its products will be aimed particularly at the country's affluent consumers. If things go well, it would be a major improvement for the company and it finally might manage to pull its sales up.