While China is where a lot of Apple’s focus has been in terms of expanding into new territories, India is also a fast developing smartphone market where the Apple brand is doing very well.
According to a new report, Apple has sold more than 1 million iPhones in India since the start of the current financial year — representing a significant milestone for a company that wasn’t considered to be a serious contender in the South Asian market until relatively recently.
Although the sales data was not released, research agencies put the figure at 1.02 million between October 2013 and August 2014, with a total of 1.1 million units projected by the time the fiscal year ends on September 30.
“The strong Apple brand and backward software compatibility has allowed Apple to sell even three to four year old models such as iPhone 4 and 4S in a healthy and profitable Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000 range whereas affluent urban consumers are flocking to buy more expensive and newer iPhone 5C and 5S,” says Neil Shah, research director for devices and ecosystems at the Hong Kong-based technology research agency Counterpoint Research.
Currently the top-selling iPhone is the 16GB 5s, which represents 45.7 percent of the total iPhone sales, despite being in the higher cost bracket.
Recently there has been a surge of iPhone shipments according to Faisal Kawoosa, head of telecom practice at Delhi-based CyberMedia Research. Kawoosa suggests that this is Apple getting rid of stock before launching the iPhone 6 this month. The next generation handset is expected to arrive in India one month after the U.S. release, which many predict to go on sale September 19.
Apple is currently the sixth largest smartphone maker in India, which is expected to sell a total of 80 million smartphones this year as a country.
Source: Economic Times
