Even as iPhone sales went up 50% during FY2017 ended September, Apple India is getting a lukewarm response for its newly launched iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus. According to data shared by analyst Amit Mishra, India registered a 50% jump in overall sales of the iPhone.
"Apple sold a total of 1.5 million units of iPhone in India in the year ended September 2017, and it is a 50% growth compared with the last fiscal year," Mishra said.
But the iPhone 8 series, which the company launched in September 29, got only a lukewarm response. "The customer preference for iPhone 6 and iPhone 7 in India is more compared to the iPhone 8 series. It is in the 70:30 range as per the last three weeks statistics," he said.
Market analysts view that the festival season helped the iPhone 6 and iPhone 7 sales to spur up. "During the Diwali and special sales season, on ecommerce platforms, these products' bottom price reached just above Rs 30,000. Then customers found it very unworthy to go for a high-priced phone with no new features," he said.
The iPhone 8 models were released globally on September 22, and is the first iPhone to have wireless charging technology. The Apple iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus models are upgrades from the iPhone 7 series launched last year.
According to the analyst, iPhone-lovers in India are not satisfied with the features offered by the iPhone 8 series. "They haven't offered dual camera and the display is only LCD and no other latest features. The Samsung Galaxy S8 has curved AMOLED panel. All are waiting for the iPhone X to be launched next month," he said.
In a global development, Apple Inc's shares fell nearly 3% on Thursday on signs of weak demand for the iPhone 8 in the US and Canadian markets.
The tech giant also decided to slash orders for the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus by nearly 50% for the rest of the year. The fortune of Apple's Asian suppliers like Tanwan's Hon Hai Precision Industry Co and Pegatron Corp, along with South Korea's LG Innotek Co, also fell substantially.
The company normally won't give regular updates on sales numbers. Majority of its demand numbers are indications or predictions from supply channels, wireless carriers and analysts.
Besides Apple distributor Brightstar, various retail stores and ecommerce companies participated in the sales.
Published 19 October 2017, 16:53 IST