Apple’s iPhone Sales in India Might Drop For the First Time Since 2014

• Apple's iPhone sales in India are predicted to dip by around 25% in Q4 of 2018.
• Unless the company manages to prevent the dip, it will be the first full-year fall since 2014.
• The tech giant’s smartwatch sales have dipped as well in Q3 2018 but experts believe the final quarter to be much more successful. 

Apple has had a hard time finding a strong foothold in India. With high import duties and aggressive pricing strategies from companies like Samsung and Xiaomi, the tech giant has been unable to break into the market that accounts for 1.3 billion people.

While Apple has decided not to publish its sales figures in the future, analysts from around the world are constantly keeping an eye on the company. The tech giant has been unable to achieve promising sales in India despite the final quarter being the most important for electronic sales in the country with a month-long festive season.

Research director Neil Shah from Hong Kong-based Counterpoint Research revealed “Sales are set to drop for the first time in four years. If you look at Q3 - it was 900k last year and this (year) is almost 450k. iPhones have gone costlier, and the features and specs aren't that compelling. The install base of Android has grown vastly; the new customer base (for Apple) is not coming."

Image Courtesy of Reuters

CEO Tim Cook revealed that the company considers the Indian market to be a “very long journey” and with the country’s spending power on the rise, the tech giant should continue to see the same revenue or even higher.

The company’s problems are not limited to India alone. Despite Apple dominating the smartwatch market, global shipments are down as well by 30%. The numbers are concerning because global shipments have been on the rise with Fitbit, Imoo, and Amazfit performing quite well in the segment. However, the tech giant’s Series 4 smartwatch just launched and with the holiday season just around the corner, we can expect to see some impressive sales figures.

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