Apple’s latest iPhone SE is not doing so well in India. Apple had hoped that this iPhone would help them gain valuable market share in the mid-range section. However, that dream looks far from realised.
Early retail estimates are running into just a few thousands. That’s nowhere near what Apple wanted to achieve in terms of sales figures.
The biggest reason for such poor sales seems to be the price.
Although Apple wants to market the SE as an entry level/mid-range phone, the price tag of 39,000 (for the base model) is just too high for the Indian market. And the fact that SE is only a 4-inch phone makes things worse. For nearly half the price, big players like OnePlus and Oppo are offering feature-loaded, gigantic 5.5-inch phablets!
In a surprising twist of events, Apple is facing stiff competition from its own products. Just a fortnight back, the iPhone 6 was available for as low a price as 31,000 rupees. It was only natural that people would choose that model over a 39K iPhone SE.
Corrective measures!!
Apple, in an effort to rectify this problem, has increased the prices of iPhone 6 and 6s!
What a smart move, Apple. What a smart move. (Insert your appropriate dose of sarcasm here)
Here we were thinking that Apple would reduce the price of SE; instead we’re looking at a 29% hike in the prices of 6 and 6s. Bravo!
With the new pricing in place, the base model of 6s has gone up from 31K to around 40K. Similarly, the 6s is now available for 48K where it was just under 40K earlier. The price hike also applies to the 5s model.
Here’s an example of the latest pricing: Apple iPhone 6s Plus (Silver, 16GB)What do the customers want?
First of all, given our affection for large screens, it was going to be really hard to pitch the 4-inch SE to the general user.
Secondly, the price for the new model was already prohibitive. With the revised costings now, selling these handsets is going to get ever harder!
Our verdict
To Apple: Bad move. Fire your India’s price-strategy expert.
To the customers: This plan looks like it’s going to backfire soon. Wait for a month or two before investing in an(y) iPhone.
I don’t buy an iPhone on its launch as I know I can get it AC half a price in 6 months time , one thing I use to like about iPhone was that there price never use to come down drastically but it’s not same anymore . In my car I bought iPhone 5s in 50 k when it was lunched now u know it’s price has come down enormously
I don’t buy an iPhone on its launch as I know I can get it AC half a price in 6 months time , one thing I use to like about iPhone was that there price never use to come down drastically but it’s not same anymore . In my car I bought iPhone 5s in 50 k when it was lunched now u know it’s price has come down enormously