The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple has sold through its initial stocks of the iPhone 5 in India following the device's launch there on Friday, but the company was said to have delivered only 10,000-15,000 units for the first wave of sales.
“We were sold out within 24 hours of launch. It’s all gone,” said Himanshu Chakrawarti, chief executive of The MobileStore Ltd., a retailer that stocks iPhones and which has 900 outlets across India. Apple Inc.’s latest iPhone officially launched in India on Friday, more than a month after it hit major markets elsewhere.
Analysts are expecting Apple to deliver roughly 100,000 iPhone 5 units to India in the first month of availability, jumping to 200,000 by the end of the year.
While those shipment numbers pale in comparison to those seen other populous countries, they do represent a substantial jump over the 50,000 units sent to India in the June quarter, a boost due not only to the introduction of the new hardware but also improved distribution.
Top Rated Comments
Yes, they have a billion people.
Yes, Apple is supply constraint right now. But some people just can't afford it or choose to buy it at this ridiculous price.
To give you an idea, I was in India for a wedding. One of the servants never saw an iphone before (mesmorized). He asked how much it was, I didn't want to tell him, but I did.
It equaled his yearly income. Why do you think Nokia phones are still popular there? It takes time, but it will be reach everyone.
...ignorance
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All iPhone so far are sold at price more than 700 $(base model price) and not at 200 $ like in US but people are still ready to buy. How many people in US will buy it at 700 $ & how many people in India will go for it if iPhone is 200$ ?
Really bro-last time all you saw was only iPhones and iPads ! wow ! Am from New Delhi-so am Indian,don't go by that Canada moniker,I work in Canada-and to be honest,70% of the population survives below poverty line,AND what you talking about is the elite 1%,go check your facts-the per captia GDP of india is 1k$. And if you say it's cheap,so adjusting it to PPP it goes to just 3,000$ and you,if you are an Indian,you very well know the disparity which exists there.
India: post iPhone 5 prices of some phones:
iPhone 4 ( 8 gb only ) - 488$
iPhone 4s (16 gb only)- 708$
iPhone 5 (16 gb) - 837$
iPhone 5 (32 gb) - 965$
Samsung Galaxy S3 - 588$
Sam. Galaxy Note II -635$
Htc One X (16 gb ) - 570$
All phones prices come down nearly after 3-4 months of launch in India, but iphone prices remain same through out the whole year.
Apple can ignore India for now, but risks getting shut out down the road when Samsung is already dominating.