Are you sure that this is apple pricing and you’re not being gouged by a private repair shop?
It's not that at all.
The laws are the same for all companies, there is no special tax only on Apple. Where every other multinational company including Samsung have thrived and grown in India playing by the same rules, Apple has taken its own sweet time to scale up.
Way to go in ignoring the obvious:
How are these data points on Samsung relevant to Apple choosing to not offer Apple watch battery replacements? Please come back to the topic at hand of Apple being able to sell and operate in India for over 5 years now. When they can sell the watch despite all laws and duties which law prevents them from providing service for the same watches they sold?
You first brought up Samsung, not me. Don't attack me for responding to your posts.
techenclave.com
easy tiger. throwing up random news articles googled with "Apple and India" doesn't make you an expert on Apple India Policy. providing access to consumables such as proprietary batteries for a fair cost is a basic requirement of running an electronics business anywhere.You first brought up Samsung, not me. Don't attack me for responding to your posts.
Until you bother to talk facts (and not ignore them) I'm done with this. I've tried to describe all the market levers and financial restrictions. You don't want to read and understand, you simply want to complain and continue to insist of this laughable "discrimination" claim of yours.
Meanwhile it would seem it's damn hard to replace Samsung Gear watch batteries as well:
Battery replacement for Samsung Gear Classic S2 watches
I have some 3 Samsung Gear Classic S2 watches with dead batteries. Is it possible to replace batteries for these watches? All watches are working fine except that the battery does not hold for more than 10 minutes.
How about before you continue your complaining, you compare and contrast costs across all manufacturers and price points. Don't consider it a request but a requirement you WILL have to fulfill if you think you stand a chance of starting legal action. If you belive Apple are being mean, you HAVE to show proof and yes, that does mean you have to compare costs everywhere.
Or is random complaining here just easier for you?
Not really. It's only quite recently that batteries became built in to electronic devices so that a user can't replace them. There was a huge outcry when Apple released the iPhone with a non-user replaceable battery. "It'll never sell!" people said. "What's a user supposed to do when the battery degrades?" So basically, Apple invented the concept of replacing batteries for a "reasonable" fee. The policy seems to be working for Apple and their customers. But is it a "basic requirement" for all electronics businesses? No.
The rices are coming from apple authorised service centres which are the only way to get authorised repairs in India.
India and Brazil are especially notorious in computing history for protectionist barriers (some of the first Mac clones were Brazilian devices that Apple more or less turned a blind eye to, and even offered some tacit support to, on account of these issues). Maybe Brazil has improved since the 80s and 90s? I dunno (though the continued production of Sega Mega Drives under license there suggests otherwise). India is still very tech protectionist, so that likely does play into this on some level. (Europe is tech protectionist too, but that’s less to do with manufacturing and more to do with rare European services startups, like Spotify.)I seem to recall Apple having a real difficult time setting up sales in India due to protectionist policies. A simple Google search shows that this is indeed the case:
"Apple in India – a victim of protectionism
As per Indian FDI laws, Apple was not allowed to set-up any retail store unless it sourced over 30% parts domestically [6]. The iPhone was almost wholly manufactured in China, due to lower costs. This forced Apple to go-to-market in India mostly through “authorized resellers”
Apple not being allowed to sell refurbished phones:
Report: India won’t let Apple sell refurbished iPhones in the country
Apple is competing with multiple established competitors with dirt-cheap phones.arstechnica.com
Probably same goes for watches. This was 2016, no idea what they are doing now. But I understand they started producing an SE type phone domestically in India after that date.
This isn't an Apple problem, it's an India problem.
On the flip side, being Indian doesn’t make you an expert on India, which you have clearly demonstrated to everyone with your emotionally-driven, logic-free rants, with a side of outright dismissiveness and condescension of anyone’s thoughts that don’t fit your misguided narrative. If you want to think all these outrageously wrong things while ignoring the facts, that’s on you. We’re all on board in agreeing with you about the current issues surrounding pricing. What we’re not on board with is your ridiculous attitude. You’re misinformed. India has many very screwy policies that are very bad and very frustrating for their own citizens. If you want to start making changes, start there. Denying reality isn’t going to help you.
This is exactly what I was thinking, maybe there's not enough of the issue (due to miniscule market) so it's not anywhere close on Apple's radar for the region. Not only that, but the 'repair' they're offering is likely cheaper than catching a flight to the US for battery service... not that I'd personally advise such a trip.
Apple also replaces battery for Apple Watch in Hong Kong and Singapore and Australia and China and Japan and they are not western countries at all. Well you could argue Australia is but its more Oceania due to its location.
Again not all non-US markets have this issue. Like I said above. China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia and Japan have better service than India and can replace batteries for Watch.
Never claimed to be an expert on anything. I’m just a customer who is being denied basic services of consumable battery replacement at a fair cost. Due to this Indian customers are being forced to make upgrades and create e-waste. Is it so hard to understand this?
Absolutely true. But is Apple can create a sales channel why not put some effort on creating a service channel as wellAgain not all non-US markets have this issue. Like I said above. China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia and Japan have better service than India and can replace batteries for Watch.
Maybe even Japan but I could find info on that but they probably do have battery replacements for Apple Watch because Apple Stores do exist in Japan.
So basically If you have Apple Store you get much a better service from Apple. As to why India does not have an Apple Store well who knows??
EDIT: I found info regrading Japan. Looks you can replace battery on Apple Watch out of warranty in Japan as well.
Looks like this further confirms Apple Service. Apple Store = Better Service Options
Apple Watchの修理サービス - Apple サポート (日本)
Apple Watchの修理サービス情報ページ。修理サービスオプションや保証タイプ別の料金などについてご案内します。support.apple.com
It was said that Apple was meant to open an Apple Store in Mumbai in 2021 but due to COVID it got delayed. So hopefully Indians get better service soon.
I get that you're in a difficult situation. You calling it discrimination is the problem here. You disregarding every single comment that doesn't fit your narrative is the problem here. Is it so hard to understand this?
Before you go off the wall and accuse anyone if discrimination, do your research first. I also live in Asia and I got appointments to replace batteries on 2 iPhones, 6s plus and X. If your iPhone model is too old then maybe Apple can’t replace the battery due to few factors. One factor is that to have the iPhone working to its full capacity, batteries need to be of a certain strength. Lower power batteries may not be able to handle the updates to IOS, like IOS 14 or 15. Another different situation is because of your other citizens of India. If there are high reports of fraudulent activities and counterfeit iPhones then Apple has to protect its good name. Example is people buying fake Apple products then trying to exchange them for original ones. If you have a genuine problem, then call Apple, talk politely and request for their help. They have always helped me. Lastly you can’t compare the US and India in terms of company policies. Different countries have little different policies based on the laws of that country. In the US, there are a lot of laws and regulations protecting consumers.
Apple continues to offer refurbished iPhones as replacements, don't know why it would be any different for watches. Even now they are willing to replace the whole unit at a cost which is almost equivalent to buying a new watch. So I don't think any local laws are preventing them from offering battery only replacements.
