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Apple goes for an Indian

by on18 May 2017


iPhone SE assembly line established

The Fruity cargo-cult Apple has completed its first trial run assembly of the iPhone SE in India as part of a cunning plan to get a foothold in a market which favours cheap and cheerful products.

Apple said that it is beginning initial production of a small number of iPhone SE in Bengaluru and it will be shipped to domestic customers this month.

The tax-dodging phone maker has some tough competition, mostly because its rivals have worked out that you can’t flog $1,000 phones in a region where poverty means that you have to get value for money.

Its chief rival Samsung has dominated the ranks in recent years, with around a quarter of the market by various analyst estimates.

Chinese brands like Xiaomi, Oppo, Lenovo and Vivo have carved up the rest of the market where the average handset runs $150.

The four-inch SE is Apple’s least expensive model, running at $399 in the States. Some retailers in the country have managed to undercut the cost, lower the entry level price of the handset by around $80 – but even then, it is more expensive and less useful. Indians have spurned the SE as if were a rabid dog.

The Tame Apple Press claims that local assembly might reduce the cost of the SE by as much as $100. But while $220 is certainly a lot more palatable, that still marks a large premium over the average handset price.

Besides, historically, Apple wants to keep pricing consistent across markets so it is probable that it will just pocket the difference and hope that Indians are as stupid as Americans and will buy it anyway.

Last modified on 18 May 2017
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