Apple Aims For Even Bigger Market Share!
On Friday May 27th , both iPhone and Samsung, two fierce competitors, will launch into a huge market, India, with over 1.2 billion people. This launch will provide the two competitors with an opportunity to go head to head to try and win the business of a new group of consumers. Indian carrier Aircel will be carrying the iPhone, with a big-ticket price of 34,500 Indian rupees, which translates into approximately $760 US dollars for the 16G model. The 32G model commands an even higher price tag, 40,900 rupees or $900.00 US. Aircel will be offering the opportunity for customers to receive 100% of the purchase price back in monthly airtime credits. This incentive will make the iPhone somewhat more accessible for the greater population in India, where nearly half (42%) of the population lives below the international poverty level of $1.25 dollars a day.
This has been an exciting week for Apple. On the same day the iPad 2 landed on shelves in Russia, The Ukraine and Brazil, Russia, which has a population of 142 million, showed an exceptional demand for the tablet. It is rumored that many major retailers will be selling the tablet in their stores. Other countries that recently debuted the iPad 2, like Germany and Norway, sold out in less than three days. It is expected that Russia will sell out even faster considering the demand that has already been seen despite the high price tag. An entry level 16G iPad in Russia is priced at 18.990 rubles or $670 US dollars.
There has been some controversy around the arrival of the iPad 2 in Russia, as the original debut date was set for June. Some news outlets reported that one chain, known as the Svyaznoi chain, had ignored the usual official means of distribution and actually smuggled the product on to the shelves earlier than scheduled.
The release of the tablet in the The Ukraine has been considered very big news. Prior to the release Friday there was no official store carrying the iPad or the iPhone and as a result the product was not available to consumers in the country.
Apple does not have any of their own stores in either Russia or The Ukraine; using, instead, licensed Apple Premium Resellers and large retail chains. They are hoping to avoid the issues they faced last year with the launch of the original iPhone model where Russia took top spot in the gray market sales, smuggling was rampant and Apple products were being sold for over twice the US prices. Most sales where to wealthy people who would not spare any expense to get the much sought after items, most often celebrities and politicians who wanted bragging rights.
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