Apple Making Moves to Sell More iPhones in India

[di1in]

Apple, release the low-cost iPhone & watch sales rocket!

As far as I know, Indian's won't buy a low cost iPhone, even if it is priced at the equivalent of the most expensive android.

Reasoning is simple, over here people have to buy the flagship device. An expensive device, sold as a "low cost device", will still not make the cut.

That is why the GS3s sold like hot cakes before their recent price cut. After the price cut, online vendors have pointed out to a dip in sales.

To be successful in India, apple would have to place the "low cost iPhone" with some good marketing as targeting a different audience. They will probably do this too.

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No clue! I've met several foreign born Indian people in the states who think iPhones are for "girls". Don't know why?

True, I have seen men with iPhones who have bought the slate version and "masculised" it by etching graffiti style logos on the back, and covering it with a plastic screen guard like thing. It looks good, but I hate the plastic feel.

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They can prove their liking for India, by launching the iPhone 5S at the same time as the launch in the US

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India is the 2nd largest market, samsung's crappy note 2 which is priced at about 700 dollars sells twice the number as iphone 5s. Reasons?

Because people here have the psychological mindset that the price you pay must be justified by the size of the product.

This is exactly why India has lately seen a surge of SUV-styled cars (read bigger cars) that retail at the price of a normal car. Buyers don't seem to mind the cheap interiors or higher fuel consumption -- especially when fuel consumption is said to be the biggest deterrent for vehicle purchases.

 

[AnorexicPig]

No clue! I've met several foreign born Indian people in the states who think iPhones are for "girls". Don't know why?

As far as I know, Indian's won't buy a low cost iPhone, even if it is priced at the equivalent of the most expensive android.

Reasoning is simple, over here people have to buy the flagship device. An expensive device, sold as a "low cost device", will still not make the cut.

That is why the GS3s sold like hot cakes before their recent price cut. After the price cut, online vendors have pointed out to a dip in sales.

To be successful in India, apple would have to place the "low cost iPhone" with some good marketing as targeting a different audience. They will probably do this too.

----------



True, I have seen men with iPhones who have bought the slate version and "masculised" it by etching graffiti style logos on the back, and covering it with a plastic screen guard like thing. It looks good, but I hate the plastic feel.

----------

They can prove their liking for India, by launching the iPhone 5S at the same time as the launch in the US

----------



Because people here have the psychological mindset that the price you pay must be justified by the size of the product.

This is exactly why India has lately seen a surge of SUV-styled cars (read bigger cars) that retail at the price of a normal car. Buyers don't seem to mind the cheap interiors or higher fuel consumption -- especially when fuel consumption is said to be the biggest deterrent for vehicle purchases.

I don't think it's entirely true-many of my friends want an iPhone,but when a 4S is costlier than Note,and with samsung advertising the hell out of it's phones whereas Apple's presence is minute-there is bound to be a difference in sales.Just go to cricbuzz.com and see the crazy samsung marketing on a very simple site,samsung ads are everywhere on TV and newspapers.

You can't really compare SUV phenomenon with phones,with the road conditions,SUVs make a hell lot more sense and moreover are diesel so fuel efficiency aint any concern.

 

[RobertMartens]

The company has also boosted staff in India by 30% to 170 employees in the past six months.

Which means they have been hiring one to two people each week.
They are serious.

 

[thasan]

Lol very funny. Don't forget about the subjiwala

Mm... I've seen a boatman with an iPhone 4s in china. That was before the release of 5. And I don't think he earns 200 usd in month. So, yea, some chaiwala will have iPhone

 

[btbeme]

If Microsoft would allow its customer service department to buy iPhones, Apple's India sales would quintuple overnight.

 

[adder7712]

India is the 2nd largest market, samsung's crappy note 2 which is priced at about 700 dollars sells twice the number as iphone 5s. Reasons?

Nope.

 

[6264374]

India is the 2nd largest market, samsung's crappy note 2 which is priced at about 700 dollars sells twice the number as iphone 5s. Reasons?

Some reasons many of my Indian friends (from upper-middle class to pretty rich people) mentioned:
1. Can't use it as USB.
2. Can't use Bluetooth to transfer files.
3. It's too costly, I can buy two laptops for price of one iPhone.
4. Too many software issues.
5. iPhone 4 is better than iPhone 4S.
6. Android is best, Apple copies everything from Samsung.
7. Google and Samsung are doing a great and virtuous thing by providing all the features in iPhone at very low cost, even in $100 model I get all features.
8. BlackBerry was high-class, a few still believe it and it's available now around $150.
9. Pre-paid Market and lots of low cost models available.
10. iPhone's are too delicate.
11. All iPhone's look same.
12. The cellular internet coverage apart from cities you can count with one hand is still stuck at 2G and the costs are very high. Just for small comparison a monthly mobile bill (1000 sms, 200 MB 2G data, 1000 call mins per month free scheme) may be less than $ 10 and for 3G or BlackBerry services you may have to pay more than $ 50 per month.

I can go on, but in general I found apart from very few people (considering the Indian Population size) many are less aware and have lots of misconceptions about Apple.

 

[prateesh]

As a Indian, I can definitely confirm they have upped the efforts. Yesterday only I was watching a Primetime News (9 PM) channel and in every single ad break there was iphone 5 Ad.

India is a country of people with money want to show off even though they really don't need of smart phone or have any true understanding of its potential.

iPhone would be a big status symbol here

 

[kunaalarria]

Some reasons many of my Indian friends (from upper-middle class to pretty rich people) mentioned:
1. Can't use it as USB.
2. Can't use Bluetooth to transfer files.
3. It's too costly, I can buy two laptops for price of one iPhone.
4. Too many software issues.
5. iPhone 4 is better than iPhone 4S.
6. Android is best, Apple copies everything from Samsung.
7. Google and Samsung are doing a great and virtuous thing by providing all the features in iPhone at very low cost, even in $100 model I get all features.
8. BlackBerry was high-class, a few still believe it and it's available now around $150.
9. Pre-paid Market and lots of low cost models available.
10. iPhone's are too delicate.
11. All iPhone's look same.
12. The cellular internet coverage apart from cities you can count with one hand is still stuck at 2G and the costs are very high. Just for small comparison a monthly mobile bill (1000 sms, 200 MB 2G data, 1000 call mins per month free scheme) may be less than $ 10 and for 3G or BlackBerry services you may have to pay more than $ 50 per month.

I can go on, but in general I found apart from very few people (considering the Indian Population size) many are less aware and have lots of misconceptions about Apple.

Yup. The thing with india it was very nokia focused in the old smartphone age. I used to get my phones from India lol So you have all those features you mentioned. So then a Blackberry phase, so they went back to what they look for in features in phones and Android provides that.

 

[lildimsum7]

nice effort, but I don't think it would help much. Indians are tech-savvy, so they wouldn't be buying Apple

 

[Yelmurc]

India is a huge market and Apple would be foolish not to pursue it.

 

[selva]

In Apple's case, you wait for 30 minutes for an American representative. Microsoft just hooks you up to India instantly. Indians better hope Apple does for them what MS does! XD

Apple customer support was wonderful until the iPhone came out. Now it's bogged down with every idiot out there asking how to open Internet Explorer.

Not my experience at all here in Canada at least. I get someone on support within two minutes, often less than one minute every time I call past couple of years.

 

[Applefanboy8153]

My dad has a note 2 and he HATES IT! IT SO HUGE and he travels a lot! so now he is stuck with an over priced and over sized smartcrap from sum****! LOL!

 

[gnasher729]

No clue! I've met several foreign born Indian people in the states who think iPhones are for "girls". Don't know why?

Maybe some people think that the huge amount of extra arm muscle that you need to lift a Samsung Note compared to an iPhone shows they are real men for carrying a Samsung Note. There are all kind of weird people in the world.

 

[JHankwitz]

I was under the impression that over in India and Japan the tech is way past what we have in the U.S. basically LTE everywhere and fiber optic internet. The reason we are so behind them is because we have such a large distance for our infrastructure to be built on while they have a small area with huge population density

India, small area?

 

[shyam09]

As a Indian, I can definitely confirm they have upped the efforts. Yesterday only I was watching a Primetime News (9 PM) channel and in every single ad break there was iphone 5 Ad.

India is a country of people with money want to show off even though they really don't need of smart phone or have any true understanding of its potential.

iPhone would be a big status symbol here

lol and i keep wondering why we are called cheap.

 

[ramram55]

Some reasons many of my Indian friends (from upper-middle class to pretty rich people) mentioned:
1. Can't use it as USB.
2. Can't use Bluetooth to transfer files.
3. It's too costly, I can buy two laptops for price of one iPhone.
4. Too many software issues.
5. iPhone 4 is better than iPhone 4S.
6. Android is best, Apple copies everything from Samsung.
7. Google and Samsung are doing a great and virtuous thing by providing all the features in iPhone at very low cost, even in $100 model I get all features.
8. BlackBerry was high-class, a few still believe it and it's available now around $150.
9. Pre-paid Market and lots of low cost models available.
10. iPhone's are too delicate.
11. All iPhone's look same.
12. The cellular internet coverage apart from cities you can count with one hand is still stuck at 2G and the costs are very high. Just for small comparison a monthly mobile bill (1000 sms, 200 MB 2G data, 1000 call mins per month free scheme) may be less than $ 10 and for 3G or BlackBerry services you may have to pay more than $ 50 per month.

I can go on, but in general I found apart from very few people (considering the Indian Population size) many are less aware and have lots of misconceptions about Apple.

maybe lower price iphone will attract customers, what apple is expecting Indian customers to suck into their eco system, such as iphone owner will be using mac and ipad, unfortunately no such thing happens, in that part of the world people will be happy with a cell phone that can call their folks in their village, nothing more, they would care less about internet browsing.
you cannot sell mercedes to average folks who want to go for work or buying grocery with transportation.

 

[SmileyBlast!]

nice effort, but I don't think it would help much. Indians are tech-savvy, so they wouldn't be buying Apple

The entire India demographic is not tech savvy. There are bound to be some Mom's and Pop's who just want an easier to understand smartphone to use like the iPhone.

 

[tmroper]

Maybe some people think that the huge amount of extra arm muscle that you need to lift a Samsung Note compared to an iPhone shows they are real men for carrying a Samsung Note. There are all kind of weird people in the world.

Daintily caressing and gently poking a smartphone or tablet can't help looking a little feminine, but the small size of the iPhone makes it look even more so. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

 

[krravi]

Unlocked Android phones made by chinese companies are available for $50. Good luck with Apple competing in that market.

 

[4509968]

maybe lower price iphone will attract customers, what apple is expecting Indian customers to suck into their eco system, such as iphone owner will be using mac and ipad, unfortunately no such thing happens...

Kinda the other way round too. I am from Mumbai, have an iMac, and still use a cheap Nokia qwerty phone. Smartphones arent really required for a normal lifestyle. I thought of getting an iPhone 5, but just couldnt figure out the need.

 

[iphoneclassic]

I believe India has a local sourcing law on the books, any company after 10 years of retail sales in India has to produce 30% in the country. Samsung with so many products can easily meet this target. For Apple with few products it is a problem. Unless it finds a product to make there in near future, it cannot sell more.

 

[ramram55]

this is disturbing someone wrote on internet 'People in India die because they can't afford $20 dollar antibiotics and Apple wants to sell them silly techno- hippie gadgets that cost $500 a piece ?'

 

[brdeveloper]

There is a big market for low cost but decently designed phones. In Brazil, only a small portion of people buy high-end phones. Most people have brandless chinese cheap and fragile devices.

These cheaper phones cost around $60 and can take pictures in vga resolution, display analog tv and run a j2me Facebook client through wi-fi or 2nd gen GSM. If Apple (or Samsung) sold phones for $100, these devices could have a big potential to be a luxury - but affordable - phone for these consumers.

Currently, the mainstream brand that targets more accurately this population is Nokia. With its S40 monotask OS, they offer a phone for around $100 to $150 with a pretty decent hardware and software, music player, social networking, 3G, Wi-Fi and so on. Actually, Nokia sells very well in this segment.

A 3GS-like iPhone for about $150 would sell very well in these markets. Maybe Apple should think seriously about recovering profit margins through the AppStore later with support from the carriers offering alternative paying methods (e.g. the phone bill).

 

[MrDc2]

So few phones for such a big market. I for one am shocked. Big potential there.

/agree. Huge potential