AppleApple iPhone 6S, 6S Plus sales in India may fall below target

Apple iPhone 6S, 6S Plus sales in India may fall below target

The lukewarm response to the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus is likely to have Apple India missing its sales target for the October to December quarter of this year. Although the company hadn’t made official its aim to sell 12 lakh new iPhone units during the festive season, reports had surfaced about its ambitious goal. Apple had apparently planned to go the whole hog and spend Rs 300 crores on marketing in the last quarter of 2015.

Now compare these figures to the fact that Apple had used about Rs 115 to 120 crores on advertising in 2014, and 12 lakhs makes up for 60 percent of its target of 35 lakhs for the whole year. But things are not going according to plan, according to retailers. The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus apparently enjoyed comparably higher demand than the latest models. Last week, an unnamed vendor in Bangalore claimed sales were lower than expected.

Apple iPhone 6S

On day one of the Apple iPhone 6S and 6S Plus being launched in India, Spice Hotspot (with three stores in Connaught Place) pushed out 25 units only, reports Economic Times. Those who hadn’t pre-booked the devices didn’t have to go back home empty-handed since extra units were available in most places. The head of a large retail chain said the inventory didn’t fall short, unlike what happened last year when the smartphones got sold out by midday.

In Kolkata, a couple of owners of Apple exclusive retail outlets have copped to selling a dismal number of new iPhones too. One shop admitted to sales being 50 percent lower. CEO of The Mobile Store, Alok Gupta, seems to be feeling optimistic though. He feels that initial customers are Apple loyalists, and expects a clearer trend to manifest over time. The price of the devices may have played a major role in determining how many would buy the handsets.

Specifications shared by both iPhone models:

– Platform: Apple iOS 9 OS
– Chipset: 2GHz dual-core Apple A9 processor
– Memory and RAM: 16GB/64GB/128GB ROM, 2GB RAM
– Photography: 12MP main camera, 5MP webcam

The iPhone 6S Plus in 128GB, 64GB and 16GB capacities costs an eye-watering Rs 92000, Rs 82000 and Rs 72000, respectively. The 128GB, 64GB and 16GB iPhone 6S can be got for Rs 82000, Rs 72000 and Rs 62000, correspondingly. Apple probably knows it’s in trouble over the somewhat disappointing sales of the new smartphones. Pacific Crest Securities says the company has reduced component orders by almost 15 percent.

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