iPhone maker, Apple has realised that India won’t alter its Make In India norms for the California based electronics giant. The company is now eyeing an alternative strategy to boost its presence in the second largest smartphone market in the world.
While the company has already been struggling with longer replacement durations across the globe, In India it faces stiff competition with Chinese players who are offering feature-rich phones at affordable prices.
Last year Apple handed over its India operations to Michel Coulomb to revamp its sales strategy in India and enhance revenues. Since then the company has witnessed numerous executive exits and a reduction in the number of distributors and channels, which impacted the sales of the company in the country.
Industry experts opine that Apple will have to focus on its music and video services along with promoting local manufacturing in India for both domestic market as well as exports.
Apple reported a 1.2 per cent market share in India at the end of the year 2018, with sales reducing to half and reaching 1.7 million units, as per Counterpoint Technology Market Research. The India Cellular & Electronics Association(ICEA) is seeking a 10-year tax holiday, similar to China besides changes in labour and e-waste regulations to ease the entry of global giants in India.
Apple is a member of ICEA along with Oppo, Vivo, Lenovo, Huawei and Xiaomi.
