Apple to launch budget smartphone for Indian market : reports

Apple is aiming at the budget smartphones segment in India. To take on the leading budget phone brands like Samsung, Nokia and others the company has lined up a budget iPhone for the Indian market priced Rs15,000 reports The Economic Times.

The company, which considers the Indian smartphone market as a very promising one, seems to have realised that budget phones with better performance would sell well in the market.

According to a recent survey conducted by Funalytics and published by the online edition of The Daily Mail, Indian consumers were keen on a smartphone, but bought other brands as an Apple product was priced way beyond their reach.

The survey revealed that 12 per cent of the consumers had a budget of less than $50 to buy a phone; 16 per cent had a budget of $51 - $100 for a phone; and 28 per cent had a budget of $101 - $200 for a phone, 30 per cent had a budget of 201 - $400 for a phone.

While looking for a smartphone, most Indians ended up buying a Samsung, Micromax or a Nokia.

According to commentators, the company seems set to re-launch the popular iPhone 4 in the market in the 8 GB storage variant carrying a price tag of Rs15000 only.

Apple will need to do a lot of groundwork if it hopes to replicate the success it had had elsewhere, in India. However given the size of the market and its potential the iPhone maker cannot let just let it go.

Though Apple continues to enjoy modest sales in major Indian cities it has almost no presence in small towns and though more stores have been planned in small towns in an attempt to expand the sales network, but the iPhone might have trouble competing with the cheaper devices in the market.

According to market research firm IDC, shipments of smartphones into India doubled to 4.1 million last year, and would be expected to rise to 129 million next year.

Expanding 3G networks are making internet-capable phones more worthwhile, and the iPhone's high-quality image makes a statement for a certain class of customers.

Meanwhile, even as Apple is working out plans to enter the Indian market, Micromax recently launched a line of full-featured Android smartphones at rock bottom prices. Rival Samsung, has a 25 per cent share of Indian smartphone market.