During mid-2017, Apple had set up its factory in India, in order to do away with the additional charges of up to 15 to 20 percent on transport and duty. It was a well-thought investment by the iPhone manufacturer, given that India has the third largest market for smartphones in the world.
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The makers had anticipated huge gains over this investment, but things didn’t turn out very well for Apple. A recent report by Bloomberg suggested slow sales rate of these otherwise sought after phones in the first half of 2018.
The report further details that Apple sold less than a million gadgets during this period of time. Working towards fixing the unsatisfactory sales, Apple has begun carrying out operational restructuring while three Apple sales executives have already left the organization.
Contrary to the disappointing sales figures this year, Apple had successfully sold about 3.2 million iPhones in 2017. In 2018, however, Apple is struggling to match up last years’ figures, let alone surpass them.
Apple had begun with the manufacturing of iPhone 6S and iPhone SE in India, early this quarter, in a bid to minimize the tariff obligations. With such actions in place, Apple desperately hopes to level up against the contemporary phone makers in the country. Yet the company has a long way to go before it finds its way into the common man’s daily lives, which is the biggest customer base in India.
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Even so, Apple.inc CEO Tim Cooks has a positive take on these numbers and plans to move Apple aggressively into Indian markets in the coming times. Cook announced in May this year that Apple’s revenue from India has surged this year, setting a record in the first half. The country’s widespread 4G network and growing middle class have been interpreted by Apple as favorable market conditions for its expansion.
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