10 Million Indians Will Own iPhones In 2018
The priciest iPhone ever, the iPhone X was well-received all over the world. In 2018, Apple will repeat the trifecta by launching three new iPhones. The design of the iPhones will be identical to the iPhone X. This means that the iPhone SE 2 will be the only new iPhone to feature Touch ID. But, that won’t stop the company from reaching 10 million iPhone users in India.
iPhone SE
In 2017, there were 8.9 million iPhone users in India. With the launch of three of new iPhones and a price drop of some famous iPhones like the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, this number will increase a lot more. A report by CyberMedia Research claims that Apple will reach the number far quicker if it ramps up its assembly operations in India. If done so, the company will be able to reduce the price of other iPhones as well, just like it did for the iPhone SE.
iPhone 7 Plus
CyberMedia Research analyst Faisal Kawoosa said:
It’s a remarkable accomplishment for Apple. In a price-sensitive market like India where 56% of the smartphones sold are still sub Rs 10,000.
However, just comparing pure numbers would reveal that Apple’s accomplishment pales in front of that of Xiaomi and Samsung’s. The new market leader, Xiaomi, had 28 million users by the end of 2017. Samsung, on the other hand, has crossed the 100 million-barrier. But, as the report points out, India is a very price sensitive market and Apple only sells premium smartphones here. Even its most affordable offering, the iPhone SE is double the average price of a bestselling smartphone.
Redmi Note 5 Pro
In fact, the iPhone X recently became the bestselling premium smartphone in India. In Q4 2017, the iPhone X was the top smartphone in the premium segment, with a share of 21% of the shipments. The iPhone X was followed by the OnePlus 5T at 17% and Samsung Galaxy Note 8 at 8%.
