The iPhone 4S to be the entry-level iPhone in India
Apple is expected to cut the price of the iPhone 4S making it the entry-level iPhone in India.
Apple CEO Tim Cook suggested in a conference call with analysts that seeing the surge in iPhone sales during the period of in July-September, Apple might slash the price of the iPhone 4S making it the entry-level iPhone in emerging markets. In the US, the iPhone 4S is the entry-level iPhone and it looks like Apple wants to unify this strategy in other markets as well.
Cook said, “As you know from comments that I’ve made previously, we’re selling iPhone 4 in very good volumes and as we begin to experiment in different regions, at somewhat lower price points, we saw a fair amount of price elasticity and so we’re hoping and thinking that, that will continue with 4S.” Read: iPhone 4S Review
Chief Financial Officer Peter Oppenheimer said, “We were particularly pleased with growth in a number of developing markets, with unit sales up sharply, year-over-year in Latin America, the Middle-East, Russia and India.”
No details are available about the price cut. Currently, the iPhone 4 (8GB) is selling in India at Rs. 23,500 and the iPhone 4S (16GB) is priced at Rs. 35,250. To be relevant in India, Apple would need an iPhone priced under Rs. 25,000. At this price point we have quite a few impressive smartphones available such as the Nexus 4 and Samsung Galaxy S3 to name a few.
Earlier on, during the days of the iPad (first gen) and the iPhone 4, there was a significant delay in launch of the products in India. The time gap has reduced considerably with subsequent product launches.
The iPhone 5S is available in India at a starting price of Rs. 45,200. Apple recently announced the iPad Air and the iPad mini with Retina display. The tablets will be available in the US starting November and there is no information on an India launch or price for the tablets.
Source: TOI