With plans to launch 500 dedicated Apple retail stores in India through both or one of its local distributors, Redington and Ingram Micro, you could say the tech giant has finally come to its senses with regards to the importance of this market. We remember being at an Apple press conference a couple of years ago and seeing the company’s representatives giving a smile mixed with apology and confusion when one journalist asked why it tended to dish out the step-fatherly to India.
The times have changed drastically since then, with the country now claiming to have the most voracious appetite for smartphones in the world as compared to any other nation. Mobile advertising is on the rise and the number of Internet users here is expected to reach 302 million this month. To top that off, more than 70 percent of those who own handsets are yet to upgrade from feature phones and Apple is clearly watching these figures.
Well, it’s not like too many people can afford to buy an iOS device if you consider the cheapest option is the 8GB iPhone 4 which is pegged at around Rs 20000. Handsets selling for half that price or even less, seem to be better at convincing folks to upgrade, as the trends in the Indian market clearly indicate. Apple may be able to win over more hearts by offering all of its products on monthly installments or similar purchase plans.
Also see: Apple iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 India launch – Better late than never
TOI says that the company which has its presence in big cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata and Chennai, is eying smaller, tier II areas like Amritsar, Coimbatore, Trichy, Nagpur, Nasik and Moga. It apparently intends to set up 500 or so retail stores ranging from 300 to 600 square feet in India, with Redington heading the operations. The latter is Apple’s biggest distributor, accounting for roughly 70 percent of its sales.
Apple registered shipments of approximately one million phones in India from the beginning of this year until September 2014. With 500 stores reaching out to more customers in tier II areas here, the company may have a good shot at being counted amongst the most popular mainstream players.