iphone: iPhone 13 series ‘proves’ India matters for Apple – Rashtra News : Tech News

Gone are the days when India was considered more like an ‘afterthought’ for a huge company like Apple. There was a time when as soon as the new iPhone was launched, buyers in India cast envious glances towards other markets because they had to wait quite a bit to get their hands on it. Not anymore, especially with the iPhone 13 series. This is the fastest iPhone that has been launched in India. More significantly it’s at the same time as the US.

The India story gets a new chapter

The iPhone 13 series will be available for pre-order in India from September 17. A week later — September 24 — is when the new iPhones will go on sale. This is the exact same timeline that will be followed in the US and other major markets.
According to Prabhu Ram, head, Industry Intelligence Group (IIG), CMR For Apple, India has been one of its most significant and strategic bright spots in recent history. “Apple’s move to prioritise iPhone 13 series availability in India, on par with US and other markets, helps it to build on its recent growth momentum from its recent market initiatives to ramp-up iPhone assembly in India, and its aggressive marketing initiatives, including the online retail store,” says Ram.
Ram says that the Apple growth story in India, in recent times, has been powered by its older-generation iPhone models. For instance, as per CyberMedia Research (CMR) insights, the iPhone 11 was Apple’s star performer in Q2 2021, accounting for >60% of the iPhones shipped. “Going forward, we believe iPhone 12 will power Apple’s growth momentum,” says Ram.
Apple has been making significant efforts to make India the priority market. In the last couple of years, pricing has also been a major factor. For instance, it was widely speculated that the iPhones could end up costing more this year as there has been a global chip shortage that has affected smartphone brands. Apple hasn’t changed iPhone 13 prices from iPhone 12. This is even more significant since the base storage variant has gone up from 64GB to 128GB. That’s a big enough reason to jack up the price but Apple seems to have bitten the bullet and stuck to the price points.
Ram from CMR is bullish about Apple’s prospects in the country. “Apple is now poised for its best-ever performance ever in India,” he says, before adding that, “the older-generation iPhone 12 series and the early availability of the new iPhone 13 series together will help Apple.”