It’s a known fact that the iPhone sales have hit a roadblock. To reignite the sale engine, Apple is looking towards India. but Samsung reigns supremacy in the sub-continent. Apple products are generally expensive and an average Indian has to work for 4 months just to buy a base model iPhone. To counter this, Apple has partnered with Foxconn to bring used iPhones to India and with the high resale value, these phones are sure to be gobbled up by the average consumers if the price tag has been significantly reduced.
This will help Apple in 2 ways. First is that Cupertino tech company will be able to sell tons of phone while still making huge profits. Secondly, it will not lose its premium product aura. Accordingly, Apple has submitted a formal request to the Indian government asking for its permission to import pre-owned phones into its shores. The first proposal submitted in 2015 has been rejected.
but this idea might never come to fruition as major smartphone players in the mobile segment in India like Samsung, Micromax, Intex and Karbonn have formed a group and are actively opposing Apple citing environmental reasons.
They argue that Apple is with a plan to dump its electronic waste or e-waste that has been collected worldwide into India making it the graveyard for the much-loved iPhone and iPad. This e-waste, when destroyed, produces toxic substances that will ultimately impact the ecological balance of the region creating further e-waste problems.
The second reason is that bringing in the pre-owned phone will impact the smartphone industry and will generate significantly less income and annihilate local jobs, thus increasing the unemployment rate.
“Why even consider allowing import of used phones when import of other used goods such as cars are precluded by 300 percent duty levies?” asked Ravinder Zutshi, chairman of the newly formed Mobile and Communications Council, which issued the letter.
With the proceeding, it is evident that India is turning into the next major territory for the mobile industry and both, Apple and Samsung wants to gain a foothold.
Stay tuned for more info.
