iPhone gets mixed response in India

While large crowds gathered to witness the unveiling of the iconic Apple iPhone in India at the stroke of midnight on Thursday, sales across the country were more or less on expected lines.

According to industry estimates, over 4,000 phones were sold on the first day today. However, there were many potential customers who said the price was too high for their pockets.

Industry sources said while Airtel sold over 200 phones in the first hour of the launch in the four metros, just one outlet in Gurgaon rustled up sales of 50 phones within an hour. “We have seen responses that have been above our expectations,” said a dealer based in Delhi.

“We have already sold about 14 handsets today and as the word spreads, we expect better sales in the coming days. We saw a high rate of enquiries and also customers making spot down-payment,” he added.

Another Delhi-based iPhone retailer sold about 11 phones during the day. “We have had customers making upfront payment to purchase the phone. So, they are not only through pre-bookings.”

Executives involved with the sale of the phone say that they expect brisk sales in the next one week. They expect to sell 1,00,000 iPhones in the next 12 months.

A similar mood prevailed in other regions of north India, with dealers hoping sales to pick up in the coming days.

Airtel franchisees at Sector 8 and 17 in Chandigarh informed that there was no significant increase in enquiries or bookings of iPhone.

Speaking to Business Standard, Colonel S K Anand of Zulu Trading Co, an Airtel franchisee, said, “There is a lukewarm response in the city. I feel, priced at Rs 31,000 for 8 GB, the iPhone is too costly for Indian consumers. Maybe, in coming days, the demand will pick up. But at present, it is not as per the expectation.”

According to reports, the southern states have responded more enthusiastically to the arrival of iPhone. An Airtel showroom in Chennai sold 40 iPhone handsets today. There are bookings for another 60 handsets, which the store manager believes will be delivered in the next couple of days.

Fabian Joseph, a project manager of an IT firm in Chennai, said, “The iPhone is priced over three times its US price of $199. If you list the features, you can get them at less than half the price. My old Nokia N95, for instance, has better features with video-recording, which the iPhone lacks. I have decided to buy it from somebody who is planning to come down from the USA.”