What Are Some Of The Challenges Tim Cook Faces In India - Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL)

Apple Inc.AAPL

's CEO Tim Cook arrived in India on Tuesday after concluding a visit to China. However, the executive's trip to the lucrative Indian market comes with a unique sets of challenges.

CNBC's Spriha Srivastava noted that Apple faces tough competition in the country against Samsung and Micromax which sell lower priced devices compared to iPhones. To counter this, Apple requested earlier this month that government for permission to sell refurbished iPhone devices - a request which was rejected. "Refurbished iPhones would have certainly given an opportunity to many aspirants to experience the Apple ecosystem without spending extravagantly and allow Apple to capture share in the price conscious market where 85 percent of smartphones sold are under $200," IDC's Navkendar Singh told CNBC. Cook has also been active in trying to open fully owned Apple stores in India - a request which was also declined due to local regulations. Srivastava suggested that this was one of the factors leading to Cook's visit to the country. In fact, the executive will meet with the country's head of state, Prime Minister Narendra Modi. However, Cook is far from the only head of a major technology visiting the country and looking to "woo" its head of state. The 2 also previously met last year during Modi's visit to Silicon Valley as part of his "Make in India" initiative.

Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs