Do you know how many Android users converted to iPhone users in the last 10 days? Well, I can tell you this figure. In Amazon’s Great Indian Festival sale and Flipkart’s Big Billion Days, 10 lakh iPhone 15 sold. Which you know was at 60Hz. And the fact is that many Android users followed Apple’s iPhone.
Apple’s Rise Amidst Strong Competition
Even Apple’s iPhone’s success got another interesting perspective. Where in Flipkart’s BBD, the biggest force sold was Samsung. Then came Xiaomi’s number.
After that, slowly slowly Apple’s number came here. And iPhone’s sales are increasing a lot in premium. More than Rs. 50,000, the phone that is selling the most here, whose preference is the most here.
That Apple’s iPhone happens here.
Surprising Sales Trends
Even the surprising thing is that iPhone 16 Plus and 16 were not able to record sales at a global level. That is, they could not break the record of iPhone 15.
But the opposite happened in India. iPhone 15 is more than 15 Plus. 16 and 16 Plus are also weak. Even the sales of Pro and Pro Max were also forced.
Apple’s Manufacturing Plans in India
On top of that, Apple has officially confirmed that they will manufacture iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max in India. And not only that, they are planning to open more Apple.
Apple Going Deep in India stores for Apple’s iPhone. So you know that there are already Apple stores in Mumbai and Delhi in India. But Apple is planning four more Apple stores. Which he will keep in India and sell more phones.
Apple’s Growing Influence in Premium Market
That means that Apple is leaving its mark in the premium market in India. And the surprising thing is that most Android users are running after iPhones every year.
iPhone on EMI
You must have heard a figure that 70% of iPhones are bought on EMI in India. But tell the truth, this number is even bigger than this.
Even the surprising thing is that in India, almost 50% of phones worth Rs. 30,000 are sold on EMI. And the top companies that are leading in this are Apple, Samsung and OnePlus.
What Makes Apple Different?
But how did a company like Apple do this? Look, there is one thing to understand that Apple is not a normal company. And we can’t compare it with a normal Android phone. Because the brand value it brings is what makes it different.
Android vs iPhone
If I compare Apple’s iPhone with Android phones product wise. So I’m telling you, Android phones will go a long way in many matters. Whether in the case of display, rear cameras, battery life in the case of performance, fast charging. If we compare in many things, then Android goes a long way.
Why People are Buying iPhone
But what is it in Apple that it always goes a long way in the name of sales. And after a limit, people close their eyes and like to buy only Apple.
And that is its brand perception. Because since the growth of middle class in India, every middle class has an aspirational buy. And the aspiration is such that it wants to associate itself with luxury and premium. Because of this, most of the luxury brands and premium brands in India thrive here.
Car Brands as an Analogy
I can explain it to you in a very good example. You tell an example of cars. Here in India, what is the aspirational car? Do you know Mercedes, BMW.
These are the aspirational car brands in India that people like to buy here. And which brand is for regular consumers? Your Maruti, Mahindra, Tata. But there were some such brands, I am talking about cars in between. Who made a wrong decision and spoiled their brand value.
For example, Audi. Audi was a very premium brand, but Audi decided that if we take out our car at a low price, then it lost its brand value. The brand value of a company like Volvo, which makes a good car, how did it lose? Volvo was written behind the buses. From there its brand value fell.
Apple’s Premium Strategy
Apple understood this 10 years before you. When Chinese phones enter India, you start getting good smartphones at a low price. Apple knew that if we take it out at a low price, then we will never be able to increase the rate of our phone in the future.
That’s why they decided from the beginning that if we are taking out a mobile phone in India, we will keep it expensive. Whether it is imported or made in India, whatever it is, the price will be comparatively high. It will remain a premium device for India.
Maintaining the Brand Value
Because of this, when iPhones started to be made in India in the future, Apple did not reduce the price of its iPhones.
However, in comparison with 16 Pro, 16 Pro Max and 15 Pro, they have reduced the price. But the price is still very high. Because Apple charges premium for it and does not want to lose its brand value.
Because they know that people are ready to pay more for Apple. Only for those people. This was a very big thing.
Where Most iPhones are Selling
After this, I also found out where exactly iPhones are being sold in India. If we talk about 3-4 years ago, do you know which city was selling the most iPhones? Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi.
Today, they are sold in tier 2 cities. Bhopal, Lucknow, Indore. These are the cities where Apple is making its presence.
Online Expansion of Apple
That’s why Apple has brought its own online Apple store. So that everyone can buy Apple products that were available only in a few selected places.
Every Apple product is available all over India. If you want to buy Apple products, you can pay for it. So yes, we are selling you here.
The Luxury Trap
Let me tell you a simple concept. You can compare it with luxury fashion brands. Like Gucci, LV. These are designer luxury brands.
Their clothes are very expensive. But is their price really that high? No. Even the same with Apple. If we talk about iPhone 16 Pro, the bill of material. The components that are sold individually. It comes to around $400. Around Rs.30,000 in India.
Apple’s High Margin Model
But in this, obviously, your research and development costs, production costs, marketing costs, a lot of costs add up. But despite that, the biggest profit margin is earned by Apple.
The good thing about Apple is that they are making a lot of money on individual products. That’s why they are selling less phones in India. But their money is coming in a lot. And here we have seen that it was helped by EMI scheme.
The EMI Trap
EMI was a concept that changed the entire finesse decisions of the people of India. If you look at it, the older generation than us. They focused more on savings. Even the majority of the wealth they had accumulated, the money they had saved. You will mostly see in FD.
Changing Consumer Behavior
The generation we are talking about here, my salary will be Rs.20,000. But I have to run a phone for Rs.100,000. Even if I have to pay Rs.5000 EMI every month for it. Well, the truth is that the concept of EMI has increased consumerism. People got to learn new products. People are able to buy what they could not buy. These are some positive things.
EMI Can Be Useful, But Be Wise
But if EMI is used properly, it is a good thing. Like if you are buying a house, you know you bought a house, bought land. Its price will increase in the future.
You will get its profit in the future. But when we talk about mobile phones, mobile phones are not a luxury item. It is a necessary item. Everyone needs it at this time.
Even Budget Phones are Good
And mobile phones that are available for Rs.20,000-25,000 also provide good value. There is nothing like that in it. Even I have seen a lot of cheap Android phones.
You get to see very good Android phones in the range of Rs.25,000-30,000. The thing is that it is just Android. But in many cases, their camera is sometimes better than the iPhone’s superior display. But still people go and buy an iPhone.
Life of iPhone
It means that if your work goes on with a phone worth Rs.25,000, There is no need to forcefully buy an expensive phone with EMI or loan.
Because you have bought an expensive phone this year. So it has to be outdated next year. Next year, Apple is going to launch iPhone 17. After that, iPhone 18 will be launched. The life cycle of a mobile phone will be 2 years, 3 years, 4 years.
Value vs Necessity
You can’t run a mobile phone more than this. The battery life of the iPhone will start degrading. Even for any phone, you have to run it very carefully.
Then you can run it for 4-5 years. And when you are thinking of changing the phone every 1.5-2 years, Then a lot of things happen in the story.
Tool vs Luxury
Because the mobile phone is such a thing that you really need. You want to communicate. However, if you only want a camera, video capabilities, If you are a content creator and you are buying an iPhone from that perspective, Where you want to make content with this iPhone and make more money with it.
Because you are investing on a tool. Then that mobile phone is a tool for you to make money. But for most people, that tool does not stay here.
How Things are Changing
If we talk about this, then things are changing very fast in the market. How Things are Changing As I told you, what Apple did was not reduce its price from the beginning. Maintained its brand value.
Today, it is taking full advantage of the Indian market. First of all, it is penetrating deep into India. Where 5 years ago, we were limited to Delhi-Mumbai. Today, it is going deep and entering tier 2-3.
Apple’s Forward Strategy
They know that we can do very well in India. Along with this, they also knew that in the coming time, people will spend more on their brand.
That’s why they will get their brand value at any time. And the companies that have made affordable and cheap phones in a time, They are all struggling to sell at an expensive price.
Other Brands Struggling
Whether I talk about Xiaomi or Realme. Even OnePlus is stuck at a time. Because people are not going to OnePlus even after a limit. Where did you sell OnePlus? You can see Vivo. They had released the X-fold 3 phone. It is their most expensive phone ever. In the last 2-3 months, only 7000 units were sold.
Apple’s Influence on Indian Society
You can see that these things are nothing. These are all like elephant teeth for companies. When Apple sells such an expensive phone in the market, You can see its influence on the entire Indian society. Because of this, Apple’s dominant position is being created
Will Apple Eat the Whole Market
Will Apple Eat the Whole Market here. But will Apple eat the market completely? There will be many people who will not buy such an expensive iPhone. However, whoever wants to buy it, will buy it. He will take EMI or full payment. It is his choice. It will keep selling here. And every year you will see some growth here.
One Good Thing
The iPhones that are being made in India, They will be exported outside India. I really like that advantage. In which Apple has put a lot of thought. Without having a dependency on China, They have brought some production to India. And they are exporting iPhones from India. I really liked that.
iPhone will be a Big Boost for People in India
People will get jobs, factories will be opened Foreign currency will come to India So definitely it is a big boost for people in India It is a very good thing, I fully support it
Conclusion
Now if we talk about iPhone, it is not a phone for which you have to spend a lot of money. The money you are spending is for people like Apple. It is a matter to be seen that in the coming time, people will be more attracted to it or completely avoid it. But if we talk about it, if a 120Hz iPhone user is switching to a 60Hz iPhone Then you will understand that there are many things different in the market.
