According to the Times of India this week, Apple has slashed prices of its Indian bestseller iPhone 5s for the third time in three months, bringing them down to almost half of September levels, in a bid to shore up sales as demand for iPhone 6s and 6s Plus has nose dived after Diwali.
iPhone 5s prices now starts at Rs 24,999, down from Rs 44,500 in September. This makes Indian price of iPhone 5s one of the lowest globally, despite the depreciating rupee and higher import taxes making India among markets where Apple products cost the most, retailers and analysts said.
Retailers say iPhone 5s accounts for almost 50% of total iPhone sales in India.
The $250-400 (Rs 16,000-Rs 27,000) price band is where Apple wants to focus its energies in India since they want to lock in more consumers into their eco-system which would build up a base for upgradation when newer iPhones are launched,” said Tarun Pathak, senior telecom analyst at Counterpoint Research.