Apple bullish about India, plans to launch the much awaited Apple Watch by early February.
Although Apple has not revealed the launch date of its Apple Watch, reports have surfaced that the company's first smartwatch will be released in India in February.
According to reports, Apple is bullish about the Indian market, after market studies revealed that the Apple Watch has the potential to become a bestseller in India like the iPhone and the iPad. Two senior executives associated with the company have stated that the tech giant has already hired Indian developers to create apps for the device and is firming up for the launch. Apple recently released WatchKit development kit for developers to create apps for the wearable device.
"Apple is bullish about the success of the Apple Watch in India since it already has a base of more than 4 million iPhone and iPad users who are initially the potential target," said one of the executives.
Earlier, an Apple spokesperson had stated that the Apple Watch will be launched globally in early 2015. The Apple Watch is expected to be priced between Rs. 28,000 – Rs. 35,000, which will be more than the cost of wearable products sold by rivals Samsung and Sony. The wearable will be compatible with the iPhone 5, 5C, 5S, 6 and 6 Plus which run on the latest Apple iOS 8.
"At such a price point and limited reach only to latest iPhone users, the volume uptake will surely be small, but the Apple Watch launch will boost the awareness of smart wearables as a product category and make it a buzzword in India like Apple iPad did to tablets as a product category four years ago," said Counterpoint Research senior analyst (devices and ecosystem) Tarun Pathak.
According to Counterpoint Research, India's wearables market will get a boost next year after the launch of the Apple Watch. This year only 1 lakh wearable were shipped in the country but this number is expected to increase five times next year. The research firm adds that apart from Apple, other new vendors will launch affordable smart wearable products next year that will give a big push to the market. Read: Xiaomi to launch smartwatches next year?
Source: Economic Times
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Silky Malhotra
Silky Malhotra loves learning about new technology, gadgets, and more. When she isn’t writing, she is usually found reading, watching Netflix, gardening, travelling, or trying out new cuisines. View Full Profile
