“Varuni T.V., a business professor in India, had her eye on a particular smartphone for months. She coveted its look, its camera, its user-friendly features. Finally, at the end of May, the 34-year-old—who, like many in southern India, uses initials instead of a surname—bought that dream device: a black iPhone 5S, a model Apple Inc. released in 2013,” Saritha Rai reports for Bloomberg. “‘It doesn’t bother me that it is several generations old,’ says Varuni, who teaches at a college in Hospet, a mining town six hours north of Bangalore. ‘It’s a good feeling to own an Apple phone.'”
“Apple made just 3 percent of the smartphones sold in India, the industry’s fastest-growing market, in the first quarter,” Rai reports. “Now it’s letting stores and online retailers such as Amazon.com Inc. and Flipkart Ltd. slash prices for retro models, a rare concession for a brand that carefully guards its high-end image. All in, the business professor paid 20,400 rupees (about $300) for her 5S at iPlanet, a local reseller. The most similar model Apple still sells in the U.S., the iPhone SE, starts at $400 without taxes or fees.”
“Apple took a clear hint. Older phones accounted for almost 55 percent of the 2.6 million devices the company shipped to India in 2016, according to Counterpoint Research,” Rai reports. “While Apple’s official website for India lists only the iPhone 6S and SE for entry-level buyers, other retailers show the iPhone 5, introduced in 2012, and the iPhone 6, from 2014. The 5S, which was effectively replaced by the SE, was listed at 15,999 rupees during an Amazon sale in May.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: India should allow Apple to sell Apple Certified Refurbished iPhones, iPads, and other Apple products:
The “Make in India” program is supposed to focus on creating skilled jobs and minimizing environmental impact. Blocking Apple from selling Apple Certified Refurbished iPhones and forcing the company to set up factories full of entry-level assembly jobs in order to open brand new retail stores accomplishes neither objective.
Indians can’t have nice, clean stores or real iPhones are great prices (Apple Certified Refurbished iPhones are better than new fragmandroid phones) because your government is “protecting” you against such things in favor of importing pollution and crap, menial, unskilled, low-paying jobs. So, don your face masks like the Chinese to ward off the smog (not that iPhone assembly is particularly polluting, but the requirement forcing 30% of manufacturing into the country will lead to pollution from other industries) and have fun with your insecure, never-to-be-updated fake iPhones!
Or, some portion of the 1.3 billion Indian citizens could demand that the handful of government dullards blocking Apple reconsider their trade ideas. — MacDailyNews, May 26, 2016
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India should approve Apple’s plan to sell Apple Certified refurbished iPhones in India. Not only would they be affordable to more consumers in India, Apple’s refurb’ed iPhones are easily better than competitors’ new phones! Why keep the Indian people shackled to inferior iPhone knockoffs when they could have the real thing? – MacDailyNews, May 25, 2016
SEE ALSO:
Apple again asks Indian government to allow sale of certified refurbished iPhones in India – February 6, 2017
Indian IT minister says Apple plans to make iPhones in Bengaluru – February 3, 2017
Apple nears deal to manufacture products in India – January 25, 2017
Apple is ready to make iPhones in India, for a price – January 20, 2017
India to consider Apple request for tax breaks and policy exemptions with ‘open mind’ – January 18, 2017
Apple is horse-trading mightily with India – January 4, 2017
India poised to reject manufacturing concessions for Apple – January 3, 2017
Apple doesn’t want India’s government to muddle iPhone’s look – December 29, 2016
Apple is discussing manufacturing in India, government officials say – December 20, 2016
Apple iPhone grabs first place in India with 66% of premium smartphone sales – November 29, 2016
Apple seeks government incentives to set up manufacturing unit in India – November 7, 2016
iPhone 7 and 7 Plus launch in India: Apple’s latest flagship gets record-breaking response – October 8, 2016
Reports of Apple’s death in India are greatly exaggerated – August 5, 2016
India clears path for first Apple Retail Store – July 21, 2016
Indian government expected allow Apple Retail Stores without any sourcing requirement for 2-3 years – June 6, 2016
Indian government discussing waiver to permit Apple Retail Stores – May 30, 2016
Blow for Apple and Indian consumers as Indian government pushes protectionism – May 25, 2016
Blow for Apple and Indian consumers as Indian government pushes protectionism – May 25, 2016
Apple hits setback in push to open retail stores in India – May 24, 2016
Apple’s U-turn in India: From arrogance to servility – May 23, 2016
Apple finds potential new factory hub – in India – May 23, 2016
Apple’s Tim Cook samples Bollywood, cricket, in bid to woo India – May 21, 2016
India shows Apple CEO Cook the love it’s yet to give the pricey iPhone – May 20, 2016
Apple CEO Cook: ‘We are in India for the next thousand years’ – May 20, 2016
Watch Apple CEO Tim Cook at his first cricket game in India – May 19, 2016
Apple opens Maps development office in Hyderabad, India – May 19, 2016
Apple CEO Cook debuts in India – May 18, 2016
Apple to open first-of-its-kind iOS App Design and Development Accelerator in India – May 18, 2016
Tim Cook visits India: Apple to expand its Indian software development center, build local start-up accelerator program – May 17, 2016
Apple Retail Stores to open in India by end of next year – May 16, 2016
iPhone sales surge 56% in India as Apple eats into Samsung’s high-end share – May 8, 2016
Apple deprivileged as India bows to Washington D.C. consensus on mobile phone import tariffs – May 7, 2016
India rejects Apple’s plan to import and sell refurbished iPhones – May 3, 2016
India, China, Russia will always be a closed markets for Apple. Its governments are simply spying on citizens and never liked Apple because privacy is a big threat. Simply you cannot control people using iPhones easily.
Android units are welcome and therefore should be rather called Personal Data Collecting Devices than phones.
how is China a ‘closed’ market to iPhones?
The Verge 2015
“This quarter the revenue generated in China passed Europe to become Apple’s second biggest market after The Americas.”
(that’s bigger than All the European countries combined!).
Last year China dipped a bit (thus affecting Apple’s financials) but it’s still a heck of a big market. There are dozens of Apple stores there.
“Blocking Apple from selling Apple Certified Refurbished iPhones and forcing the company to set up factories full of entry-level assembly jobs in order to open brand new retail stores accomplishes neither objective.”
Apple wanted to actually refurbish iPhones IN India, for Indian consumption, but the government said no. Everybody should note what happens to an economy when the government is “protectionist”. It ain’t good.
Besides, in another year or two that iPhone 5S will be bricked by Apple because it can’t support the next iOS release. But then, that might not be important to someone buying a $300 iPhone.
Can you imagine anybody paying $300 for a Galaxy 4?
Look! Battery fluid…ones times number Android is bleeding to death!
This is a huge mistake by Apple, India is a Death Trap and Apple should not get to attached to India