The average Indian consumer easily falls for the paraphernalia of sales, zero per cent interest, buyback schemes — anything that signals an easy buy. Apple, sensing this essential core of the shopper, has decided to go all out and grab by the pocket the buyer who is fiddling with the thought of purchasing a smartphone costing less than Rs 20,000.
She's not the regular Apple aficionado, but the Cupertino giant wants to make her a convert. She can leave her smartphone behind and get a Rs 7,000 discount on iPhone 4. Good move? Not really.
For, while the Apple CEO kowtowed in China with a promise of superior service, the company is misreading the Indian market by pushing a three-year-old product — a relic in tech terms, and one that has lost its lure in Europe and US that have upgraded to iPhone 4S, then iPhone 5, and are now waiting for the next generation — possibly, as rumours go, in a variety of colours, different sizes and low cost.
Turning India into a dumping ground for out-of-fashion phones and pushing an old model in a competitive price bracket, when other brands are aggressively positioning their new products, is not the best strategy. It is only reflective of Apple's disdain, one that flourished under Steve Jobs, for India — a showcase for its end-of-life products rather than a destination for premium gadgets.
