According to data from Counterpoint Research, iPhone sales in India are booming. Apple reportedly shipped 800,000 units in the December quarter to the country, up from 500,000 a year ago. Apple has been aggressively promoting their phones with substantial discounts to sustain sales, given high prices for iPhone 6s in India (via Economic Times).
Even with price cuts, that 800,000 number is composed of older iPhone models too. The report indicates that iPhone 5s was responsible for 30% of the sales numbers. About half of the 800k number are made up of iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus.
In 2014, Apple’s brand new iPhones, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, took 70% of shipments. Although sales growth is encouraging, the lower proportion of new phone units is a slight cause for concern. Absolute numbers are also still low compared to total iPhone sales, but Apple is expected to break records not just for the quarter but for 2015.
Yesterday, it was reported Apple has asked Indian regulators for permission to open its own Apple Stores in the country. Apple currently has no official retail presence in the country, instead relying on carrier partners and independent phone stores. Bringing Apple Stores to India should yield a nice boost to sales.
Apple is set to report total iPhone sales for the quarter at its investor earnings call next week. Worldwide, there is much speculation about iPhone sales performance with many expecting Apple to report negligible growth across 2016.
