10 Reasons why the Apple iPhone wont hit India
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Apple iPhone is creating waves across the globe and the Time magazine has named the iphone as the invention of the year of 2007
No doubt that iPhone is a great device , Its a revolutionary phone – much more than a phone
But the sad part is that the iPhone has not come to India so far. Its available in the Grey markets for under Rs.30,000 but without warranty. Anyone buying it / already bought it ? I wanted to highlight why the iPhone wont be coming soon to India.
Users dont spend much on Value Added Services
I was just comparing the various mobile markets in the world where the iPhone has been introduced – USA, UK,Germany and France. These markets are places where purchasing power is more. In this context Im referring to the amount of cash the users burn on their mobile phones and related services such as ringtones,songs etc. We Indians spend a lot on phones for sure but mainly for calls and messages nothing more.
Operator Revenue Sharing wont work in India
Apple wants a cut of the revenue the operators make out of an iPhone user. This might not not work at all in a country like India where there are so many operators.
Texting or SMS is the hottest mobile thing in India
SMS is the hottest mobile service in india and the iphone sux at it and atleast when I tried the iPhone i was not comfortable with the touchscreen keypad. I will be far more comfortable typing on a Nokia 1100 or a Motorola lowend phone.
Mobile Web is not big in India but its Growing
Mobile web usage is still minimum in India. We are running a poll on mobile internet usage in India. Surprisingly 45 of the 69 voters claim to use the internet on the mobile phones. Might we get really advanced mobile users as visitors to FoneArena. But the ground reality is that mobile internet usage is still small compared to PC internet usage.iPhone Web Apps is a totally new area and mobile internet is the backbone for these iphone apps which are heavily data driven.If Apple can force the Operators like Airtel and Vodafone to bring out unlimited GPRS plans then things might change.
Locked Handset model wont work in India
Its pretty common in the USA for AT&T to release the latest mobile phone locked to its network. But I doubt whether this model will work in india. As a mobile user I want to have the freedom to change my operator / cell company as I wish. Think I change my house and Airtel has poor coverage in that area and BSNL has better coverage. I dont want to change my handset for a change for a phone number change.
Apple wants to remain a niche / Luxury brand ?
This is an open ended question. Considering the iPhone comes to India and is priced at say around 16000 rupees . How many of us will buy it ? I would say most of you reading this post will want to own a iPhone then. This means Apple is loosing its status of being a Luxury brand. If you are the guy or gal who wants to stand out from the crowd, then the iphone might not be for you – Everyone has it , whats so cool .. ill find another phone
Bluetooth File Transfers won’t work
Bluetooth file transfers are very popular in India,atleast amongst youth. iPhone does not let you share files over Bluetooth. Its got bluetooth but only for pairing with a Bluetooth Headset.
TouchScreen phones are still not popular
In a country where SMSing is so hot , touchscreen-only phones wont sell like hot cakes. HTC Touch has had some good sales, but generally users are not comfortable with touchscreen-only phones. HTC Touch Dual with a additional keypad is coming soon.But still the touch interface of the iPhone is cool but takes sometime to get used to.
No Video Recording
Video recording on a mobile phone is so much fun. The phone does have a camera but no video recording.Are you listening apple ?
Too Much Competition and lack of presence
Theres so much competition among mobile handset brands in India. So many new players are also entering the market.Nokia retains the no.1 spot in India other brands are having a tough time tackling Nokia’s continuous rise in market share. But Apple just ate Windows mobile market share in the USA. But USA is a different story. Apple has very few stores here in India and has remained a luxury brand only affordable by the rich so far.
Hope this post answers some questions about why india has not got the iPhone yet. But I have a question for you.
Do you wish that you could get the iPhone in India ? just like in the USA or UK … why not here ?
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it would be 32000 due to 100% duty. and add the VAT to that number.
There are plenty of rich Indians with ample black money.
This is a status symbol. There is already a healthy black market of iphones.
all the rest of your argument can be fixed via software update. Only reason has not be added is due to battery drainage from bluetooth and especially recording video.
Most of your reasons that you have listed is just stolen from other blog and articles regarding this subject. Even one indian newspaper covered how the unlocking was being done in a mumbai bazar. Don’t Apple doesn’t take advice from blogasphere.
Nice write-up about the iPhone.
Here are some thoughts:
1. I thought Apple was working on making the iPhone open to 3rd party apps for 2008?
2. Too early to say if iPhone will be a hit or not. My sense is that the iPhone when introduced in India might be a slightly different version….if Apple is looking at the feedback from other countries in Europe. Any good product company generally does factor in users feedback..got to wait and see on this one.
3. Users in India don’t spend much on VAS because there is a limited array of services available to them in India,
Kamla Bhatt
I think Apple coming up with 3G and GPS enabled iPhone in 2008 will certainly boost its sales and popularity. Aslo in US it has defeated Windows Mobile. When iPhone came in India via Greay Market, people were pouncing on it..so when it is officially launched I dont think so that the story would be much different.
@rd – I have just expressed my thoughts on this subject. How can u call it stealing ?
@Kamla
Apple plans to release a developer SDK by Feb 2008 . But for now they are against 3rd party apps.
I agree its too early to decide if iPhone will be a success or failure But its just an analysis i did to see why India has not got the iphone still, being one of the largest mobile markets.
Yes. But if operators offer unlimited data plans for a flat rate fueled by the iphone – vas usage will increase for sure.
@ Vikram
Lets wait and watch . India still does not have 3G networks.
Probably India will get iPhone 2.0 or 3.0
thanks
i gone through the article .i would like to say that in country like india in which school going kids carrying expensive mobiles costs between 10,000to 15,000.So the cost wont be the problem.If Apple make some changes like video recording,operator freedom etc then it would be a big hit
@RAJESH
Thanks for posting ur views..
Youth will be the biggest market for Apple
Hey, this is a good article i found through digg. I agree to your points except the one Touch screen phone and SMS. I am in US and own an iphone and its SMS feature is amazing and enjoyable and touch screen has not hindered my typing speed at all, although it took 3-4 days to adjust.
I think your last point ‘lack of presence’ is probably the biggest factor. Infact it looks like Apple doesn’t want to be present for some reason. They can easily reduce cost by going for 2-4GB memory. They always seem to go for maximum features, and high price with it and stay as a luxury brand like you said.
@Varun KS
Thanks for your comments.I have used the iPhone for only a couple of hours and my opinions on the keypad might be not perfect.. Are you using the default keypad or using any special app ?
I think apple does not want to become just another mobile phone brand in India where there are more than a dozen brands already.
let me know when apple is gonna launch Iphone in india finally ?
I plan to buy the i phone from US and it may reach to me in a week bt before that i have got a few queries to ask. Firstly what if der is a software problem or any problem in the handset? Will i get a replacement or repaired in India? Where can i show my phone in Mumbai? Secondly when is the phone getting officialy launched in Mumbai? lease reply soon.
so whats the final verdict?
dude this is a great artical cause i am an Indian who will not invest so much (30k) for just style n lack in those 10 points I have a better one at 10k with very good properties n rather i go for laptop. Here most lack a pc why go for to iphone for 30k. And if you wana hit in India think like middle class people that’s how it works here!
hey help me out which phone should i buy
between 20000-30000rs
help me out with best phone in any brands
@cool
go for HTC touch cruize or wait for HTC touch diamond.
hi……
i have some doubts regarding iphone 3G. You said that it has bluetooth but no chance of sharing applications like(songs,videos etc..). I don’t know how far it is true. You said that we get an locked phone. Actually I’m getting iphone 3G from US. So i would certainly get its as locked. So, how much i have to pay to get it unlocked. Who are those who can unlock the apple iphone. Firstly what if der is a software problem or any problem in the handset? Will i get a repaired or replacement or repaired in India? Where can i show my phone in Visakhapatnam(Andhra Pradesh)? What is third party application mean? I’m using BSNL(cellone) sim right now. Is there any problem or will the iphone accept my BSNL sim. How to unlock the iphone by ourselves?
Hi
You cannot get it repaired till Iphone has an authorised opening in India which is not cofirmed, there is no possibility if the phone has a problem that it will get repaired as no service is available yet. Also Unlocking can be done from the Gray market and there is no surity of the same as one of my friends did get that done but the functions of the I-phone gave a problem and he searched from the net and did something or the other and it is fine now. Also the Bluetooth does not work, no camera and also it is very delicate and needs utmost care and handling.
Regards
Paul
iphone 2 is the answer to all short comings users explained. though it still does not have video recording and extended blue tooth service. even with this at 199 dollars the phone is a great buy as it is uncomparable with any other phone available due to its interface and multimedia experience.
Apples policy of restricting service providers is ridiculous as they hamper their own sales trying to bring in exclusivity of their product. but its like apple forcing mac owners to choose their internet service providers. they woukdn dream of doing this, then why here ?? To cash in on the boom?? all carriers who want to sell the phone will be ready to subsidize it and further give the consumer a choice of the service provider. Their policies encourage black marketeering, unlocking pros etc.. phones outside the official markets sell for a huge premium. Apple is slow in its launch approach and underestimates the power of the emerging markets. The number of iphones sold in /india will outpace the US by five times if priced and marketed appropriately.
Wake up Apple!!!
The article is persuasive,as a technology guy could anticipate that this a fluff gadget,Thanks for consolidating and elaborating about it’s noncompliance to Indian Market
The article is persuasive,as a technology guy I could anticipate that this a fluff gadget,Thanks for consolidating and elaborating about it’s noncompliance to Indian Market
thoughts were great,i was just going through it.
i agree to the point that apple wants to be a luxury brand. but the ‘locked’ system is not fair as in india, there is chance of changing the sim often. right now im using sonyericsson w950i,also having touchscreen, and i didnt find it difficult to use it while sms typing, however i havent used iphone up to this day.
you were saying about unlocking the phone in some places.could you replay me about tat places… thankyou
plz let me know how to unlock the phone if we get it from US.becoz in US its 199$,thats around 9950 in our currency.and if we buy in indian market t comes for 30k.so plz let me know how to unlock the phone.
tatti
hi. i really want to own an iphone but all these questions and reasons tht have popped up are really confusing me.. so what is the final verdict? would it be cool to go for the iphone or is the N96 a better option? or is there something better? please let me know.
thanks