Apple Reduces iPhone 6s Prices In Indian Market

It is no secret that mobile users in India are not exactly as financially flexible as those based in other smartphone markets such as the United States or the United Kingdom. Apple must have realized this because it has decided to reduce the prices of its newest flagship devices, the iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s Plus. Well, at least according to the India based Economic Times.

As reported by the Economic Times, Apple is lowering the prices of its iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus devices by as much as 16 percent. To illustrate, the 16 gigabyte edition of the iPhone 6s is now within the price range of $784 to $830. This latest move from the company comes as demand for the latest models of the iPhone continue to wane following their release back in October earlier this year. 

India is considered by many to be the third biggest smartphone market in the world right now, just trailing China and the US. It makes a lot of sense why Apple would want to make a bigger and more solid presence in the Indian market. But as a vendor of mostly premium priced smartphone offerings, Apple is naturally facing some challenges in India, where the best selling devices often are sold in prices under $300. Indeed, the smartphone products that are doing well in the second most populous country in the world are those made by Chinese phone makers like Xiaomi and local manufacturers like Micromax, who decidedly offer their devices at prices that are considerably lesser than iPhones’. 

For Apple’s part, the company is beginning to struggle with its foothold. Even after introducing its iPhone 6s devices (which sell like pancakes in other parts of the world, especially in Western smartphone markets), the company had to contend with just a 2 percent market share in India. Apple’s biggest rival, Samsung, fares much better, due in part to its tactic of competing with Chinese or local phone makers by introducing its own inexpensive smartphone choices.

Obviously, Apple wants to improve its fortune, especially in a rapidly emerging market like India. The country is home to over 1.2 billion people, and in recent years, that massive populace has made up the fastest growing smartphone market in the world in 2014. Industry watchers are now saying that by 2017, the Indian market will likely become bigger than even the US market. Will reducing the prices of its iPhone 6s devices work for Apple? For now, it remains to be seen.