In India, the iPhone can be bought much cheaper

Although in countries of the so-called "first world it is possible to acquire a device like the iPhone SE, of enormous power, quality and performance at a fairly contained price, especially if we compare it with the latest models," in India it is still possible to buy an iPhone at much more advantageous prices, and not precisely because of a simple currency exchange but because in India, Apple allows what it does not allow in the rest of the world.

In the Indian subcontinent, where the Cupertino company already has the go-ahead to start distributing phones directly from the end of this year, Apple is allowing distributors (including Flipkart and the giant Amazon) to cut the prices of "retro models".

Apple gives distributors more freedom to set prices

Indeed, according to the information published by Bloomberg, Apple agrees that iPhone distributors in India can sell it at a price lower than that stipulated by the brand. According to this medium, the reason that explains this freedom is that in general, Indian citizens are willing to sacrifice certain specs and performance in exchange for a cheaper Apple iPhone.

This permissiveness on the part of the company does not affect all models, but only older iPhones. Bloomberg points out as an example iPhone 5s, a model that was launched in September 2013 and that, due to similarity, was not updated until the spring of 2016, almost three years later. Well, a user has been able to purchase an iPhone 5s through the local iPlanet dealer for only $ 300 about 20.400 rupees, although it was even 20% cheaper, 15.999 rupees last May. While, In Spain, the cheapest iPhone you can buy is the iPhone SE for € 489.

Obviously, as we have already pointed out at the beginning, the beginning of direct distribution is on the horizon, which is planned for the end of this year, so that Apple could have the double objective of, on the one hand, to dispose of the stock available and, on the other hand, broaden the user base.

The iPhone is too expensive for India

But behind this attitude on the part of the iPhone manufacturer there is also a more than obvious reality: Apple is too expensive a company for India. And I am not saying it, but it was the CEO of the company himself, Tim Cook, who already hinted this last summer when he pointed out that he wants customers in India “to be able to buy at a price that is close to the price of the products. U.S". And now, almost a year after those statements, it seems that indeed Potential iPhone users residing in India can now purchase their terminals at cheaper prices, or at least some of the models.

Clearly, the fact that Apple allows brick-and-mortar stores and online retailers like Amazon and Flipkart to cut the prices of older iPhone models is a surprising move as Apple rarely does anything similar and cares a lot about maintaining a high-end image.

Another mindset

However, the prevailing mentality in a country like India is also different from that which exists in other countries in Europe, or in Japan or the United States, to name a few examples. As we can read in Bloomberg, Varuni TV declares that he does not care that his iPhone already has several years behind it, because owning an Apple phone "is a good feeling". These statements are even more important when we consider that this testimony comes from a practicing business professor.

In 2016, Apple shipped 2,6 million devices to India, and older iPhones accounted for about 55% of those devices. In addition to the iPhone 5s, the iPhone 5 and the iPhone 6 are the most popular terminals of the brand. With the beginning of Apple's direct presence in India manufacturing the iPhone SE at the Bangalores plant, analysts expect its market share to increase. Later, it is believed that it will also launch into the manufacture of individual components for the iPhone.