APPLE'S INDIA

AFTER YEARS OF LANGUISHING ON THE FRINGES, APPLE HAS FINALLY MADE ITS PRESENCE FELT IN INDIA WITH RECORD SALES AND MARKET SHARE OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS. BUT HAS ITS WINNING STRATEGY TO EFFECT THE TURNAROUND SET IT UP WELL TO MINT FURTHER GAINS?

- ARNAB DUTTA

SINCE SUMIT VIJ laid his hands on a MacBook Air for the first time in 2009, his business has grown manifold and the Delhi-based entrepreneur has bought almost the entire Apple products line-up. But when Apple introduced its new Mac portfolio built on the in-house M1 chipset last year, he had to get it. After using several Apple products, across generations, Vij was already a satisfied Apple loyalist. Yet, the new Mac’s “unprecedented” performance surprised him.

“After getting positive reviews from my friends, I purchased the base model MacBook Air from the new Apple India online store. Not only was the buying experience seamless, but the performance of this new Mac is way above anything I have experienced before. This offers more value for money than any other computer I have purchased in the past 10 years,” he says. Now Vij can edit ultra-HD videos on the base model Mac, for which he earlier needed Pro models that cost double the amount. For him, this innovation is another reason to stick to the brand.

Vij is not alone. If the numbers are anything to go by, there are thousands of Indians whom Apple has managed to attract and bring under its fold in the past two years.

Bolstered by a spurt in demand for its iPhones, MacBooks and iPads as the Covid-19 pandemic forced people to work and study remotely, Apple India has delivered record-breaking numbers. Its operating revenue in India surged 68 per cent to a record ₹22,845 crore in FY21, while net profit rose 32 per cent to ₹1,226 crore. The revenue growth rate was not only a nine-year-high but came as other consumer electronics firms just about managed to hold fort. For example, its arch-rival Samsung India’s operating revenue remained flat at ₹75,886 crore in FY21.