“Apple Inc.’s new iPhone SE goes on sale in India on Friday, and it’s not cheap,” Sean McLain reports for The Wall Street Journal.
“The company announced its cheapest-ever iPhone at its California headquarters last month, saying the four-inch device would go on sale for $399 in the U.S. With tax, the price of the phone is around $430 in most U.S. states, compared with 39,000 rupees ($586) including taxes in India, a 36% premium over the U.S. price,” McLain reports. “The high cost augurs poorly for sales of the iPhone SE in India. While the company said the guts of an iPhone 6S – Apple’s most recent flagship phone – would be contained in the body of the smaller SE, the size of the device and its price will likely limit its appeal for Indian consumers, analysts say.”
“Most Indians prefer larger screens, like the ones found on the iPhone 6 and 6S, because a smartphone is often their only computer. Apple may also struggle to compete with its own earlier models in India. A 16-gigabyte iPhone 6 sells for as little as 35,000 rupees on various e-commerce websites,” McLain reports. “‘At this price it’s competing against the iPhone 6,’ said Kiranjeet Kaur, an analyst at International Data Corp.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Once Apple opens its own retail stores in India, as opposed to going through resellers, iPhone prices will come down across the board.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Dan K.” for the heads up.]