Apple chief Tim Cook believes iPhones in India could come as cheap as those in US

Apple CEO Tim Cook's India visit drew up many conversations and discussions about refurbished phones, retail stores, Make in India, among others. Clearly the man was on a mission to make his way into Indian hearts and minds. One factor that really tugs at Indian heart strings is the price point. Cook touched upon that issue too in an interview with NDTV.In the interview, Cook was asked about how iPhones were priced so much higher here, even when the purchasing power is a fraction of what it is in the US and services like iBooks and Apple Pay aren't available. Cook shares that the duties and taxes levied in India escalate the prices. He says they would definitely do things to lower that over time, to the capacity that they can. He maintains that they would do nothing to lower the quality because they still want to be known as a great product and don't see themselves competing in some of the other (lower) price bands because that's not what people want from Apple. What he really wants, Cook says, is the consumer in India to be able to buy at a price that looks like the US price and the Indian user to have access to all the services.When asked if Cook would ever consider making an iPhone just for the Indian market, he reveals that conceptually they find no reason to change the hardware. Having said that, he says the company has found the need to understand the services that people are using and making sure those are integrated in a different way. He adds that Apple can do a much better job in India on that.Apart from the iPhone itself, India finds Apple accessories heavy on the pocket, even when the range of selection is not as wide as that internationally. Cook agrees to it and admits they do need to up their game there.In the interview, Tim Cook also touched upon how leasing is a relatively easier way to get an iPhone cheaper and the fact that it is becoming a more popular way to own an iPhone. But they haven't really gotten down to working on a process like that for India yet.