Apple India's revenues rose threefold to over Rs 2,000 crore for the year ended March 2012, and analysts expect surging iPhone sales to propel the company's top line to over $1 billion (about Rs 5,400 crore) in the current fiscal year.
These figures predate the aggressive marketing strategies adopted by Apple in the past six months, and experts say it is possible that Apple India's strong showing in 2011-12 woke the company up to the country's potential.
iPhone shipments to India have risen three-fold in the past six months, and according to Singapore-based market researcher Canalys, the robust sales growth will continue this year, enabling Apple to comfortably clock $1 billion in revenues in 2013-14. According to Canalys, Apple would have grossed $500 million from iPhone sales in India alone in 2012-13.
India has traditionally not been a high-priority market for the Steve Jobs-founded company and it used to take months for a new Apple product to make its way to the country. In late 2011, the company began to expand its India team and introduce new models closer to their global launch. In September 2012, the company changed its sales model by appointing two retail distributors, began an advertising blitzkrieg, and launched an EMI scheme for smartphones.
Ten days ago, it announced an attractive buyback scheme for iPhone 4, which is priced at Rs 26,500. The scheme, which offers a minimum buyback amount of Rs 7,000 for an old smartphone and is targeted at users of rival brands.
In addition to smartphones, the company's tablet and computer businesses, too, have picked up in India, with Apple last quarter announcing EMI schemes for iPads and running promotional offers on Mac personal computers.
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