Apple’s aggressive expansion in India is no longer just about selling more iPhones. It is about embedding itself into the fabric of the country’s manufacturing, digital economy, and developer ecosystem. As CEO Tim Cook recently put it, he is “over the moon excited” about India, calling it a “huge opportunity” for the tech giant .

India’s artificial intelligence ecosystem has entered a phase of decisive maturity. The early wave of experimentation is giving way to a more demanding reality: products are expected not only to innovate but to deliver measurable impact at scale . The ET Most Innovative AI Product Awards 2026, scheduled for June in Bengaluru, is designed to recognise exactly this shift—spotlighting AI products that have crossed the harder threshold of real-world performance, where outcomes can be measured and impact clearly demonstrated .