Apple Inc. appears to be on firm footing to continue its run of robust India sales after record growth in 2021, Apple sale in India record growth in 2021. With iPhone shipments set to outpace the overall smartphone market this year because of local manufacturing and demand for premium phones, market researchers said.
Apple’s smartphone market share doubled in the past year, with the company shipping about 6 million iPhones in India, the highest ever, even as overall smartphone shipments rose 11%, according to Counterpoint analysts who expect Apple to “have another record year in India”.
After struggling for years to sell its expensive imported models, local manufacturing of relatively cheaper models has helped Apple cut prices and boost demand in India. However, the top-end iPhones are still way costlier in India than in other countries because of high import tax, putting it beyond the reach of all but wealthy Indians.
Easy availability of financing has also helped sales of its pricey phones. Apple has leveraged its local manufacturing to offer discounts to consumers, especially during the festive season sales, Prachir Singh, senior research analyst at Counterpoint, said, enumerating the reasons for the growth.
According to Counterpoint Research, iPhone shipments rose 34% during the December quarter, when significant festive season sales took place in India. Shipments refer to the number of smartphones sent by companies to distributors and wholesalers. Though the shipment number closely reflects the number of units sold, it may not hold true for all smartphone models.
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Singh added that the premium segment was the driving factor for overall growth and will remain so in 2022. “Apple has covered the premium segment in a holistic manner and has a model for each segment–be it premium, mid-premium or affordable premium. In 2022, Apple will launch a new model in the iPhone SE series, and iPhone 12 will be sold at the price of the iPhone 11.
As a result, shipments of iPhone 11 will decline,” Singh added. The fact that iPhone 12 is 5G ready also makes it more appealing than the iPhone 11 and earlier models. According to Singh, the government has also announced that 5G will be auctioned this year, making iPhone 12 a compelling option in the premium segment.
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