Apple iPhone shipments plunge 42% in India during Q1
Apple saw iPhone shipments rebound in India during April, but then ran into the new OnePlus models
Meanwhile, shipments of the iPhone in India during the first quarter declined a whopping 42% to 220,000 units. Apple did see a rebound in April as price cuts and special deals helped deliveries soar to 200,000 units for that month, nearly the same amount it took the company a whole quarter to ring up at the beginning of this year. But in April and May, Indians turned to the new OnePlus 7 models offering premium specs at a competitive price. Counterpoint Research expects Apple to ship 1.5 million to 1.6 million handsets in India this year; that would be a 10% to 17% decline from the 1.8 million it sold last year and as much as a 53% decline from the 3.2 million iPhones it shipped in India during 2017. Neil Shah, research director at Hong Kong-based Counterpoint says, “Apple had a disappointing run in 2018 and the outlook for 2019 looks weaker, with shipments having fallen further compared to last year, with the exception of April, thanks to price correction that month.”
“Companies like Apple already have some of their global partner manufacturers in India and with the right environment and possibly incentives, can create a large-scale global hub for making in India and a deep ecosystem for component manufacturers. We are sitting on an opportunity which needs to be lapped up without losing a minute, else we run the risk of these investments going to other countries like Vietnam.”-Pankaj Mohindroo, chairman, Indian Cellular and Electronics Association
Companies that are doing well in India include China’s Xiaomi, with its value for money pricing. And Samsung has found gold with its new Galaxy A mid-range models. When the line launched back in March, Samsung sold over 5 million units in India during the first 70 days. This generated sales in excess of $1 billion dollars.
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