FEEDING INDIAN ASPIRATIONS

Something unusual has happened for Apple in India. The US tech giant reported a 48% annual revenue growth for its India operations in FY23. The jump in revenue and profit has made the country, known for preferring pricesensitive Android devices over expensive iPhones, a serious bet for the company

- Abdul Haleem Sherif

APPLE 

In the discussions around India’s long-term growth trajectory, the country’s digitalisation push is often touted as a key driver. Its smartphone market, which is the second largest in the world, is expected to triple from its current levels to $90 billion by 2032, according to global financial services provider Morgan Stanley. For believers in the India growth story, like Apple CEO Tim Cook, this is great news.

In 2017, during a quarterly earnings call, the Apple chief had said that he was “very, very bullish and very, very optimistic about India”. In the subsequent years, it seems that the Cupertino-based company’s India bet is paying off. For FY23, Apple’s India operations reported a 48% annual revenue growth, almost touching $6 billion. More importantly, the company’s market share is estimated to rise from 4.5% last year to 7% in 2023. If all goes well, the tech major would be able to rake in $10 billion annual revenue from India this fiscal. So, how did the world leader of expensive smartphones tap into the price-sensitive market of India?

Cracking the Premium Code

The average selling price (ASP) of a smartphone in India is now at $253, approximately Rs 21,000, which is a 12% rise from the same period last year, according to International Data Corporation. The data shows that it is the premium segment—above $600—that has been showing the most growth for the past few quarters. The smartphone market is evidently experiencing a premiumisation wave, although the ASP is low compared to global standards. Experts suggest that a key ingredient behind Apple’s success in India has been the Indian aspiration to own more expensive devices.