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Is Apple really doing badly in India? (Comment: Special to IANS)

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By Faisal Kawoosa
Given the current market conditions in India for smartphones, it appears that Steve Jobs, the late Apple co-founder, was prophetic: He did not consider this country a significant opportunity.

Let’s take a look at the Apple story since its entry into India in 2008. A lot has changed in the market — changes that have been favourable for consumers and the industry but, perhaps, not so much for Apple.

In the decade since its arrival, almost all the segments — barring the $100 to $200 segment — have seen a decline in the competitive and price-sensitive Indian market. But what should concern the Cupertino-based iPhone-maker is the steep fall in the $400-and-above market.

In 2008 and 2009, this segment used to account for 30 per cent of the total smartphone shipments. From 2010 onwards, around the time domestic brands made their entry in the ring, helping to expand the sub-$100 category, the premium segment fell to half at 15 per cent.

Barring a spike in 2011, the $400-and-above market has been on the decline in terms of shipment contribution. In the period, whatever growth took place in the smartphone market, happened at the lower end of the price strata.

Since 2013, the $400-plus market has been in single digits, and this is obviously not a good sign for a premium brand like Apple in India — even if the iPhone SE is taken into account, which is more of a mid-premium smartphone and is now being assembled in Bengaluru.

The big question now is: Has Apple’s poor performance in India been on account of some loose ends in its strategy? Or is it merely because of the segment/s in which the Cupertino-based iPhone-maker operates?

Let us examine the market share of Apple in the segments it operates in.

Over its decade-long presence in the country, Apple has been operating in three price segments. Among these, $400-plus has been the staple where the tech giant has performed superbly.

From just over five per cent share of the segment in 2008, when Apple said ‘Namaste’ to India, it currently enjoys over 47 per cent share in the $400-and-above smartphone segment by units.

In terms of revenues, Apple has also seen consistent growth despite pressures like shrinking opportunities in the premium segment as well as falling average selling prices — not the forget the “forced” downward movement to cater to the mid-premium segment.

In 2017, till September end, there has been a 21 per cent revenue decline compared to the calendar year 2016.

But then, Apple has witnessed good annual growth rates since 2010 — its average annual revenue growth rate has been 116 per cent in its first decade of presence in India.

Both from the revenue as well as volume aspects, Apple has seen a consoling India story so far.

The real issue is the growth in the premium segment with several players, incluing from China, now offering devices. This segment is going to see some difficult times ahead owing to the fact that, after Jio surfaced on the landscape, the opportunity now shifts towards the entry-level players to let a user have his or her first smartphone experience.

In the era of “Desh Ka Smartphone” and “Mera Pehla Smartphone”, it would be challenging for any premium smartphone brand, including Apple, to grow like in the past.

The overall declining growth in all price segments of smartphone over the last decade or so, Apple’s consistent growth in revenues as well as its increasing growth in market share in the segment(s) it is present, has an interesting story to tell.

For Apple, revenues as well as its market standing is on the rise so far, as it faces the peculiar nature of the domestic market.

Was Jobs able to foresee this peculiarity of the Indian smartphone market or was his interpretation something different?

Whatever his interpretation, the impact for Apple is more or less the same.

(Faisal Kawoosa is the General Manager-Research & Consulting with CyberMedia Research. The views expressed are personal. He can be contacted at [email protected])

–IANS
faisal/na/vm

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Apple is giving a huge discount on its gadgets: Details inside

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If you want to buy an iPhone and were waiting for a nice offer, then we have a piece of good news for you! Amazon Summer Sale May 2022 has begun and they are offering major discounts on various smartphones, laptops, and smart TVs, among others.

The sale is live now on the e-commerce platform with no-cost EMI options and exchange discounts on various products. In addition to this, Amazon has also partnered with several banks including ICICI, Kotak Bank, and RBL so that customers get instant discounts of up to 10% using their cards and EMI transactions.

Customers can easily enjoy this summer sale and get massive discounts on iPhones. They can also compare prices on Flipkart Big Saving Days Sale 2022 before making a purchase.

 

Amazon Summer Sale May 2022: Discount offer on iPhone 13 

Apple’s coveted phone model iPhone 13 in the 128 GB storage model will be available during the Amazon Summer Sale May 2022 for Rs 64,900. The MRP of the phone is Rs 79,900. This means that the customers will be able to enjoy a discount of up to Rs 15,000 on the purchase of the iPhone 13.

If you have an old iPhone in working condition then you will also be eligible to receive another additional discount worth up to Rs 17,000 on the iPhone 13.

Buy at Rs. 64,900 (MRP – Rs. 79,900)

Features of Apple iPhone 13 

The iPhone is powered by an A15 Bionic processor with 6 core CPU. Apart from this, it has 16 core neural engines. With the iPhone 13, up to 512 GB of storage will be available. The iPhone 13 has a 6.1-inch Retina XDR display with 1000 nits brightness.

The iPhone 13 has a 12-megapixel dual rear camera setup. This time a new wide-angle camera has been given, whose aperture is f/1.6. With this, there is support for sensor optical stabilisation. Night mode has been made better than before. The second lens is also 12 megapixels ultra-wide and has an aperture of f/2.4.

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