October 7 is going to be a special day for all Apple lovers across the country because they’ll finally be able to get their hands on a new iPhone 7 or 7 Plus. And seeing how the weeks leading up to Diwali see a furious amount of shopping in India, I’d say Apple has got it spot on with their launch date!
Last year, too, the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus were launched in October. It was said to be the fastest iPhone rollout in India, hitting the market almost a month after its launch in the US. This year, Apple has followed a similar pattern.
According to a report by IANS, Tarun Pathak, Senior Analyst at CounterPoint Research, said, “Apple will have three-four weeks of solid festive momentum. Last year, Apple launched iPhone models on October 16. This year, the company will have more time-frame to register better sales figures“.
He went on to say that Apple should consider getting into strategic partnerships in India too, just like it did in Germany (SAP). It has also partnered with CISCO to fast track the mobile enterprise business.
Similarly, Apple should consider partnering with Reliance Jio, which is currently positioned to be a game changer in the Indian telecom space with its sensational pricing and data packs. This partnership, he believes, will be beneficial in India where the number of smartphone users will see a massive rise in the years to come.
In India, the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus will be available in Silver, Gold, Rose Gold and, the newest additions, Black and Jet Black. The new phones will be available in 32GB, 128GB, and 256 GB, with prices starting at Rs 60,000. While the Silver, Gold, and Rose Gold models will come with all three storage options, the new Black-finish phones will be available exclusively in 128GB and 256GB variations.
Pre-orders have already started and shipping for the first 25 countries began on September 25. The rest of the countries will follow soon.
It looks like Apple is all set for a couple of months of significant sales figures and that would be good. What would be better is if we got some discount on the older models of iPhone. I know, I know, there’s already been a massive dip in the prices of iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, by as much as 22,000 rupees, in fact. But, we’re still greedy, and we’d love some more price reduction.
What say, Apple? Are you going to get into the festive spirit for Diwali?