Last February we posted a report titled "Apple Blocked by the Indian Government to Open Apple Stores." At the time the Indian Government refused to ease the rules that would allow Apple to open their own Apple Stores. Today, BloombergBusiness reports that the Indian government today announced that it would relax rules for companies to open stores in India as long as they can prove that their technology is so 'state of the art' that it's impossible for them to comply with norms requiring 30 percent of products be sourced locally. Bloomberg concludes that "The move paves the way for Apple to open its own stores in India." If true, then this was likely one of the issues discussed between Apple's CEO and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi when they met in San Jose in September. The news could be a positive development for Apple and the Indian consumer who will finally be able to experience Apple's classic service and high-energy product launches.

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