Following Apple’s decision to almost halve the price of the iPhone 5s in India, the Times of India states that the company has followed this by a more modest price-cut for the iPhone 6s/Plus. The move was reportedly made in response to a sales slump.
Apple cut prices of its latest iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus […] just two months after their launch in India to boost flagging sales in what is historically its most crucial quarter as demand for the flagship devices nosedived from a Diwali high […]
The average difference in prices of all iPhone 6s and 6s Plus devices between launch time and now is about 15 per cent …
The report states that Apple was hoping for its best ever quarter after a strong start to sales in October, but there was a sharper-than-expected drop the following month.
While India is a far smaller market for Apple than China, it is an important one as the world’s fastest-growing smartphone market. Locals have had to pay high prices for iPhones as the country applies high import taxes to foreign products. Samsung has overcome this by opening local factories, and it’s believed Apple may follow suit.
Apple imported almost 320,000 of the latest iPhones in October in India, the world’s fastest-growing smartphone market, sparking hopes of its best ever quarter. Shipments have slumped since then and the latest data suggests that imports of the new models fell 62 per cent to 120,000 in November.
Foxconn plans to build 10-12 factories in India by 2020, and although it’s not known whether production would include iPhones, Tim Cook discussed the possibility of local manufacturing with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in September.
Lack of local manufacturing also prevents Apple opening its own retail stores in India, though discussions have been held between Apple and the Indian government about the possibility of relaxing these laws.
Photo: Tech2
