Double-digit growth for iPhones in India: Tim Cook

Cupertino/New Delhi:Buoyed by iPhone 11 sales primarily due to lower launch price and price drop on previous generation models, Apple registered double-digit growth in India for iPhones in the holiday quarter (October-December period), the company's CEO Tim Cook has announced.

"We grew double digits in emerging markets led by strong performances in Brazil, mainland China, India, Thailand, and Turkey," Cook told analysts after declaring an all-time high revenue for Apple's fiscal 2020 first quarter that ended on December 28.

The revenue from iPhones in the holiday quarter was $56 billion globally.

"Again, that's up 8 per cent over a year ago, thanks to the exceptional demand for the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max.

"In fact, iPhone 11 was our top-selling model every week during the December quarter, and the three new models were our three most popular iPhones," said a beaming Cook.

Indians made a beeline to buy iPhone 11 that flew off the shelves in the festive season. The iPhone XR, launched last year, also did well.

According to Navkendar Singh, Research Director, IDC India, while first half of 2019 was relatively slower for Apple, the company managed to find growth in the second half, on the back of price drops on previous-generation iPhone models (iPhone XR, 7, 8).

"Affordability schemes like cash-backs, EMIs especially on the e-tailer platforms during the festive quarter of Diwali also led to the growth," Singh told IANS.

EMI and affordability schemes on new models also helped Apple in the fourth quarter of 2019, "which is expected to be the highest-shipped quarter for Apple in 2019," informed Singh.

The India premium market is growing faster (over 26 per cent) than the overall market (over 10 per cent), which is a positive sign for Apple to target new users.

"In fact, people are upgrading in the India premium segment faster than some of the other developed markets. This presents an opportunity for Apple," said Tarun Pathak, Associate Director, Counterpoint Research.

Apple became one of the fastest-growing brands in India in the fourth quarter of 2019, capturing 2 per cent market share with a year-on-year growth of 41 per cent.

On an annual level, Apple shipments are set to rebound in India during 2019 with an estimated growth (YoY) of 6 per cent.

Mac and iPad generated $7.2 and $6 billion globally in revenue, respectively, and iPad also saw growth in the Indian market.

"For iPad, we saw growth in key emerging markets like Mexico, India, Turkey, Poland, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam," said Cook.

According to Singh, iPad 2018 model really helped Apple register strong growth in 2019.

"Frequent discounts on etailers had made this device more attractive for consumers who are looking for an entertainment-specific device. Also, this year, Apple was able to win a few large commercial deals that further strengthened its position in the commercial segment," Singh told IANS.

Cood said that the high level of customer satisfaction and loyalty drove the active installed base of both Mac and iPad to new records in all geographic segments.

"Increased local manufacturing, aggressive and prudent pricing, and a reworked channel strategy, helped Apple attain market success. The iPhone 11 along with the iPhone XR together accounted for 16 per cent of Apple's shipments in the calendar year 2019," informed Prabhu Ram, Head, Industry Intelligence Group (IIG), CMR.