Indians are so cheap they are all gonna buy the special 8GB version that Apple makes just for them 
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Apple Files Application to Open Retail Stores in India
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I got back last weekend from a trip to India.
Obviously these stores will be limited to the affluent areas of big cities. Mumbai for example. India has plenty of big cities with upmarket areas, and enough people that can afford Apple products. Break-ins will not be any more of an issue than many other big cities around the world.
Detroit and Rochester from your country have worse crime rates and safety ratings than any of India's main cities:
http://www.numbeo.com/crime/rankings_current.jsp
How long will this new administration be in power? Could the next one just as easily kick Apple back out?
Wonder if China has stolen all of apples source code yet? Unfortunate they are rapidly becoming dependent on such an IP hack nation. Will be interesting to see how India works out. Seems like such a strange place both economically and with the outsider business red tape.
Avg monthly salary so low how can they afford blah blah blah build toilets blah
Most people fail to grasp the concept of Asia, because I hear the same arguments about China.
Truth is, those average figures are based on the whole country. Not the major cities. If you look at the per capita income of major cities, you would realise that not only is the income number much higher, but also the sheer number of people. That, coupled with the much lower cost of living enables them to live a more or less capitalist lifestyle with ease.
On the list with the most number of billionaires, India is 4th in the world. China is 2nd.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_the_number_of_US_dollar_billionaires
Most major cities have more population, hence more customers, than most European countries. Read that again so it sinks in. India also has the largest number of young working people in the world.
It's a different scale and different culture. Less traveled people like Christian 5G simply don't have the perspective to comprehend the markets, so they make a few jokes online and then go about their day feeling smug.
Mobile payments? Startups? Mobile technology? It's either already been there for a decade or happening at a rapid pace.
Large companies understand this, because they have intelligent people working for them. That's why even with the red tape and other hassles, they still want a piece of the market because they see the money.
Most people fail to grasp the concept of Asia, because I hear the same arguments about China.
Truth is, those average figures are based on the whole country. Not the major cities. If you look at the per capita income of major cities, you would realise that not only is the income number much higher, but also the sheer number of people. That, coupled with the much lower cost of living enables them to live a more or less capitalist lifestyle with ease.
On the list with the most number of billionaires, India is 4th in the world. China is 2nd.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_the_number_of_US_dollar_billionaires
Most major cities have more population, hence more customers, than most European countries. Read that again so it sinks in. India also has the largest number of young working people in the world.
It's a different scale and different culture. Less traveled people like Christian 5G simply don't have the perspective to comprehend the markets, so they make a few jokes online and then go about their day feeling smug.
Mobile payments? Startups? Mobile technology? It's either already been there for a decade or happening at a rapid pace.
Large companies understand this, because they have intelligent people working for them. That's why even with the red tape and other hassles, they still want a piece of the market because they see the money.
Wait a second. If the upper class already have that type of money in the first place they would have already bought a iPhone many times over somewhere else. Especially if they don't care what the cost is. Maybe I have to stop thinking like a rich person. How about a rich but poor person. That matches your statement a little better.
I doubt it'll result in any real benefit for the customers except finally getting the option for BTO macs and maybe even a refurb store too. Otherwise I've actually found the prices for most apple products (except the iPhone during the first few months of it's launch) to be at par or even lower than the US here. Combined with discounts and promotions by amazon and its competitors here (no body wants to lose their chance at dominating the potentially 2nd biggest online market), you can get apple gear 5-10% cheaper than you'd find in during the Black Friday and similar sales in US.
Probably a lot less than it does in the US. While the crime rates in India are a lot higher than your average developed country, robberies in a high profile, guarded store like Apple's wont that much more than any other place in the world. And in either case it'll be insured against any robberies and thefts so wont really matter.
I see you are located in Orange County. I take it you don't actually get into Los Angeles much.
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That's nowhere near as true as it was 20 years ago. The tech sector is huge. My company employees thousands of engineers there, and they are neither rich not poor.
average national salary vs a lot of people who can afford to buy.
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Chinesguy saying about India,where average labor is cheaper than India.
Key points-
The Indian people want the best gadgets. There are enough middle class and upper class people who will drop $1000 for a new iPhone. If Apple can come up with a decent price or a monthly installment plan for the new models, these will sell like hot cakes.
I was there last month and could see an abundance of 4s and iPhone 5. Now before anyone says these are 3 yr old models, these still cost about $500. So people are buying these phones and will slowly graduate to newer devices.
There is a huge untapped potential as Apple iPhones are more stable and much better than Android devices.
The Indian people want the best gadgets. There are enough middle class and upper class people who will drop $1000 for a new iPhone. If Apple can come up with a decent price or a monthly installment plan for the new models, these will sell like hot cakes.
I was there last month and could see an abundance of 4s and iPhone 5. Now before anyone says these are 3 yr old models, these still cost about $500. So people are buying these phones and will slowly graduate to newer devices.
There is a huge untapped potential as Apple iPhones are more stable and much better than Android devices.
How the heck can they afford a 600$ gadget when most of them make that much even twice less. The only reason Apple will thrive here is because India is populated. Like I said you have to go there is see it for yourself.
Will have few experiences I will share later that really caused me to see actual country and how corrupt it is. Definetally one time visit in life:
I can't believe people are commenting here that never been there and act just based on the news and Google pictures.
Will have few experiences I will share later that really caused me to see actual country and how corrupt it is. Definetally one time visit in life:
I can't believe people are commenting here that never been there and act just based on the news and Google pictures.
Yes you are correct. I regularly visit Mumbai and New Delhi and - even more regularly - meet Indian families in hotels abroad. In most cases they're stuffed with iPhones, iPads and Macbooks. It's easy to get a Apple devices in the mall, and it's even more easy to get one during their travels.
But this is the thing with iPhones. They don't last for more than 1 year before being out of fashion. And then it's back to the shop to get a new one.
Been there. Done that. You are lost and not very "luminescent".
Replace 'India' with 'Indonesia', 'Thailand', 'Malaysia' or 'China' and the article would still be spot on. However my point was about how many more filthy rich buggers there were in India compared to the US.
But yes there is indeed more potential buyers than just the 1% I was referring to. Not the amounts of fresh new mid-classers though. Those Asian countries are still potential lucrative markets though no doubt about that.
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Corruption in India is at just at sissy level. You obviously have never spend some time in Indonesia.
Thank you for saving me a huge write up!! ... Some people are just simply.. clueless, as to how these *3rd world countries* are developing at such rapid pace!
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You must think the US of A was the place it is, from day one!
An interesting incident.. I went to college at Rutgers' University for undergrad at Newark, NJ. One day, we had a bunch of tourists that, apparently, had just landed at Newark Int'l from Germany and happened to stop by our campus.
They looked, simply put, horrified!! I clearly remember a couple of them asking ' is THIS America ? ... '
Now, if you've never been to Newark, NJ you wouldn't understand what that means!
Moral of the story : It depends on what part of the country you visit! India is still developing post British tyranny that ended in 1947. Give it 200 some years (well about 140 now) and then compare.. Too bad, neither of us will be alive at that time!
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Yea.. I know! No point in trying to capitalize in one of the fastest growing economies where people cannot afford to get an iPhone on (A) a payment plan, (B) carrier subsidized or (C) credit card when most of the world pays hard cash for an iPhone
Bad business sense Apple!!
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Apple isn't planning on selling this to every pauper in India - only the 1%ers. 1% of a population exceeding 1bn is still a huge market to be tapped. Even the less affluent will be looking at the 6c. People in developed countries seem to have no problem spending outside of their means. Why do you think the Indians will be any different?
When I was out there working in Mumbai years ago, people already had iPhones and paid extra to import these from abroad. These were the lower middle classes rather than the filthy rich. Seems you went to India and learnt nothing.
Another American company ready to take poor country's money. Most of the country lives on $1 a day. Apple products should enlighten the few rich. It's number game. But yes expect the store to be robbed and government officials 9th cousin walking into the store and asking for free iPhones. That's the ground reality
That was actually a serious comment. India needs less iPhones, and more public toilets. Maybe Apple can do some good will and work with the government and put some real $$$ towards the cause.
johnnyturbouk
macrumors 68000
This used to be the case with the previous Congress government, as may elderly neighbour used decree as Marxist scum [his words not mine], that cultivated an unprecedented climate of bureaucracy, corruption, and lots of red tape. I would think apple should diversify their dependency manufacturing from one location
India has red tape like Brazil and very high customs duty. Thus the landed price of an iPhone is very high. It is nothing to do with Apple. Apple will have a very tough time penetrating this market. Chinese low cost manufacturers of Android based phones will continue to increase market share (Xiaomi, Lenevo etc.). Even Samsung is losing market share to the Chinese manufacturers. Apple can focus only in the 4 major metro areas. But it could be 2 years before the red tape will allow them to get set up. The current central government is keen to cut red tape, but their parliament like our congress is split and no bills get passed. So everything happens on executive order like Obama is trying to do. Apple's "C" models will do better here.
true but having to buy fomr diff source involves lot of time and dependency. Having a store near by would make customer more proactive to grab the new piece as soon as it is released/available.
Remember opening is store is not marketing, they already captured it. Store helps in quick turn around in terms product consumption.
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yes it would be expensive to most people but still cheap to rest. Now the numbers make sense when u define most and rest. With Billion+ population even if 1% could afford it (btw highly exaggerated to lowest slab) means 10 million units and about 40-50% of that would be recurring year on year as and when new versions come out.