New Delhi, April 19 : The first Apple retail store in India witnessed a massive crowd on Day 1 and industry experts said on Wednesday that the Mumbai store, combined with the Delhi one which opens for the public on Thursday, is a big first step for Apple to woo in hundreds of millions of potential users in coming years. There were at least 6,000-7,000 Apple fans and customers, cheering amid the beats of Nashik dhol, as Apple CEO Tim Cook inaugurated Apple BKC, located at Mumbai's bustling Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) financial, arts, and entertainment district, at the Jio World Drive Mall. Neil Shah, Vice President of Research, Counterpoint Research, told IANS that the response was expected to be big and thousands of fans, enthusiasts make the retail store a sort of place of pilgrimage. "Cook's presence and direct interaction was icing on the cake showcasing what India means for Apple and the crowd showed what Apple means for them," said Shah. Despite starting from a smaller base of Apple users in India vs Android, the brand following and latent demand for Apple offerings and experiencing the brand first hand is significant. "This is a big first step for Apple to woo hundreds of millions of potential users in coming years into the Apple ecosystem building trust and brand equity via such world-class retail experiences," Shah told IANS. The tech giant is now geared up to launch its second own-branded store, at Select CityWalk mall in Saket, Delhi, on Thursday which is also expected to see a huge gathering in the presence of Cook who will inaugurate the flagship store in the Capital. "The Apple flagship stores serve as a critical component of Apple India's growth strategy, playing a pivotal role in its efforts to establish a dominant presence in a strategically important and rapidly expanding market," Prabhu Ram, Head, Industry Intelligence Group, CMR, told IANS. Amid the local manufacturing push and an upcoming widespread retail store strategy, Apple shipped $7.5 billion worth iPhones and iPads in India in FY22-23, data accessed by IANS has shown. In FY23, Apple shipped more than 7 million iPhones and half a million iPads in the country, registering a 28 per cent growth for iPhone shipments, according to initial estimates provided by market intelligence firm CMR. As Apple doubles down on domestic manufacturing in India, the tech giant is likely to garner 6 per cent market share in FY23-34, with selling more than 8 million iPhones in the country in the period. /IANS