iPad Debuts in India

[Reach9]

it just came out in India?
Now there won't be an iPad 2! Apple is going to be waiting a whole year to release the next one!

/sarcasm

 

[nightfly13]

I was in an Airtel shop today (I live in India). They had huge 'iPhone 3GS!!!!' posters. Depressing. It's like $700 for a 3GS here, and there's some kind of contract too, which is virtually unheard of in India.

Apple treats the Indian market like crap. 12.5% vat does not account for the 30% markup that virtually everything on the Indian Apple store (online) sells. I know that every country is more expensive than the USA for Apple products, but adding the 17.5% on top of the vat is just greedy and totally encourages the thriving gray market for Apple goods. I see LOTS of smartphones here, mostly BBs or Nokia garbage. Few iPhones, and I think Apple is mostly to blame.

High prices and insultingly late to market is not a good combination.

 

[ImNoSuperMan]

I was in an Airtel shop today (I live in India). They had huge 'iPhone 3GS!!!!' posters. Depressing. It's like $700 for a 3GS here, and there's some kind of contract too, which is virtually unheard of in India.

Apple treats the Indian market like crap. 12.5% vat does not account for the 30% markup that virtually everything on the Indian Apple store (online) sells. I know that every country is more expensive than the USA for Apple products, but adding the 17.5% on top of the vat is just greedy and totally encourages the thriving gray market for Apple goods. I see LOTS of smartphones here, mostly BBs or Nokia garbage. Few iPhones, and I think Apple is mostly to blame.

High prices and insultingly late to market is not a good combination.

Prices arent that bad for apple products (except for iPhone). They have to have some margin to make up for any possible fluctuation in the $ vs Rs. And in any case, you can easily buy your ipods, macbooks from non authorized resellers who sell it for pretty much the same price as the US ones and Apple provides you the warranty without bothering to ask for the purchase receipt so thats not really too big a deal. I got my 64 gb iPot Touch for Rs 19.5k which is more or less the same as the US price.

 

[Funkatronic]

I was in an Airtel shop today (I live in India). They had huge 'iPhone 3GS!!!!' posters. Depressing. It's like $700 for a 3GS here, and there's some kind of contract too, which is virtually unheard of in India.

Apple treats the Indian market like crap. 12.5% vat does not account for the 30% markup that virtually everything on the Indian Apple store (online) sells. I know that every country is more expensive than the USA for Apple products, but adding the 17.5% on top of the vat is just greedy and totally encourages the thriving gray market for Apple goods. I see LOTS of smartphones here, mostly BBs or Nokia garbage. Few iPhones, and I think Apple is mostly to blame.

High prices and insultingly late to market is not a good combination.

Well, that's probably because Apple India is pretty much a non-entity, so to speak. No official Retail presence, which means prices are marked up higher by the Premium Resellers, extremely slow Service Support (For all parts, including logic boards and replacement macs are shipped via Singapore, hell if you want to raise an issue over hardware Apple India toll free connects you to Apple SG where they take the request)

Several people that want an iPad in India already have it. All of Apple's products are priced significantly higher for the sub-continent and the people that want Apple products usually get them cheaper from the US or Asia Pacific.

Quoted for truth. Everyone I know who's wanted an iPad already has one.

 

[maccompaq]

This is good news.

 

[DrRadon]

I was in an Airtel shop today (I live in India). They had huge 'iPhone 3GS!!!!' posters. Depressing. It's like $700 for a 3GS here, and there's some kind of contract too, which is virtually unheard of in India.

Apple treats the Indian market like crap. 12.5% vat does not account for the 30% markup that virtually everything on the Indian Apple store (online) sells. I know that every country is more expensive than the USA for Apple products, but adding the 17.5% on top of the vat is just greedy and totally encourages the thriving gray market for Apple goods. I see LOTS of smartphones here, mostly BBs or Nokia garbage. Few iPhones, and I think Apple is mostly to blame.

High prices and insultingly late to market is not a good combination.

The good thing about this is that india actualy has invented a cupple of realy good things in the past cupple of years. There are some geniuine smart people around in your country that try to take care of the people that could never buy of these big name auto and computer companys in europa, america and japan.


As for being late. The Playstation 2 just had it´s debute in Brazil a cupple of month ago, and there are still games being published for Segas Dreamcast. We are just spoiled rich kids in our parts of the world, even if we might not feel like it.

 

[b0blndsy]

How many countries are there left that still didn't get the iPad (but will at some point soon - after Feb)? This is really amazing. the new iPad2 is almost here and some countries still can't get the first version. Will they face a similar delay for the iPad2 ? Apple really needs more factories to produce the iPad (assuming this is the hold up)

Perhaps there is less demand of apple products in the countries left.

 

[DevilInDisguise]

Apple treats the Indian market like crap. 12.5% vat does not account for the 30% markup that virtually everything on the Indian Apple store (online) sells. I know that every country is more expensive than the USA for Apple products, but adding the 17.5% on top of the vat is just greedy and totally encourages the thriving gray market for Apple goods. I see LOTS of smartphones here, mostly BBs or Nokia garbage. Few iPhones, and I think Apple is mostly to blame.

I so Fu*king agree!! a USD $600 iPhone with 12.5% VAT in India would amount to INR Rs.30618 if i take the USD @ todays rate of INR 45.36. But they sell it for INR Rs.36000!! Which is BULL ****!!! Keep the Price at INR Rs. 30618 and people will buy!!!! as we here in india have many high end phones which range around 27K, so most people wouldnt mind paying 3-4k more for an iPhone. Which is also why people prefer to buy the phones from abroad as it comes out to be 6K cheaper!!

Not sure if its apple or the resellers, but get rid of the premium pricing!!

The initial iPhone 3G launched without the premium pricing at INR Rs.29640 for the 8 GB model and INR Rs.35500 for the 16GB model which was PERFECT!!!!!. But the 3GS was inflated to INR Rs.36000 for the 16GB & INR Rs.42000 for the 32GB which is BULL ****!!!!! INR Rs.30000 is a reasonable rate for the iPhone. INR Rs.36000 is not!!! which is why i have to get my phone from Hong Kong!

 

[nigameash]

Its quite simple actually. It doesn't matter whether people are willing to splurge or not. When Mercedes Benz entered India in the 90s, it was selling worthless crap which was outdated in the international market. All the people who could afford one had travelled abroad and had seen the new models. Thus nobody would touch a Mercedes coz it was a piece of trash. Once Mercedes understood this, they introduced the latest models in India. They've been minting money ever since.

The day Apple realizes this, it will conquer the market. Apple is far superior in terms of technology and software as compared to its competitors, Indians just don't know it yet. Its not about money or prices, its about how well you market your product and how many locations you are accessible at. China has multiple Apple stores and has had it for quite some years now. India still does not have the iPhone 4 and I really hope nobody buys it when it launches coz Apple deserves that for not paying enough attention to the country.

 

[b0blndsy]

Agree with you nigameash, marketing a product/Brand is very much crucial.