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Apple Starts Assembling iPhones In India (techcrunch.com)
Apple has successfully completed its first trial run assembly of the iPhone SE in India, reports The Wall Street Journal. "We are beginning initial production of a small number of iPhone SE in Bengaluru," Apple said in a statement to TechCrunch. "iPhone SE is the most popular and powerful phone with a four-inch display in the world and we'll begin shipping to domestic customers this month." From the report: The four-inch SE is Apple's least expensive model, running $399 in the States. Some retailers in the country have managed to undercut the cost, lower the entry level price of the handset by around $80 -- but even at that price, it's still substantially more expensive than most. In spite of its relatively low pricing, the SE doesn't appear to have made quite the splash Apple was initially anticipating in the country. Apple has long been working to move production to the country, hoping, in part, to retake some of the market it has lost in China in recent years, as domestic handset sales have grown. Locals are hoping that such a move could reduce the retail cost of the SE even further, by as much as $100. But while $220 is certainly a lot more palatable, that still marks a substantial premium over the average handset price. It's the world's fastest growing market, having recently surpassed the U.S. to claim the number. The Indian market is expected to generate somewhere in the neighborhood of one billion smartphone sales over the next half-decade.
for over twenty years from 1984 until 2005, I have serious doubts that this will work. There's a reason Japan, China, and Taiwan are known for their manufacturing and India isn't despite being much cheaper to build plants and hire people in India. Towards the end we even implemented Six Sigma, but they still found ways to workaround QA.
as markets mature and competitors' lower priced products with similar or better features gain currency, apple needs to find markets where there are still consumers who get fooled by hype to buy overpriced mediocre products.
or abandon the hype and absurd overpricing, and just try to satisfy customers at lowest prices that are still profitable, as others do. but that would make fanbois cry.
You expect them to lower price as their cost decreases?
The race of global businesses to cut costs by exporting labor is just going to result in everyone living in a third world country.
Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
TechCrunch wrote $220 (incorrect) instead of $320. WSJ got it right.
It's the right size to carry around, doesn't fall out of my pocket the way larger phones sometimes do.
Perception Rules Apple Ink And Timmy Cook.
The iPhone SE is a credible device. Yet, the perception is that it is a 'Child's iPhone' or the iPhone for Queers. Timmy can twerk down the street shouting Do Wa Didi Didi Dum Didi Do all he wants and it will not change the perception.
Jajajajajajajajajaja
Yes it has and it's also resulted in suppressed wages in the US and thus moving the middle class in the US closer to poverty. My point is that if we keep going on at this pace that it will make us all equally poor.
It's been going "at this pace" for decades, centuries in some markets. You're assuming a zero sum game, if they have something then we can't have it, too. The truth is that the more people are involved in a market, the more wealth is created.
Also, nothing is stopping you from "buying American." You can buy made in the US shoes from Alden for $300, made in the US shirts from Brooks Brothers for $100, made in the US khakis from Bills for $100, made in the US jeans from Earnest Sewn for $200.
If you don't like paying that much, then you can't complain that much about globalism.
My Other Computer Is A Data General Nova III.
A vertical supply chain, totally in house, with full automation at every step. All costs come from human labour so get rid of the humans and you can sell an Iphone for a dollar. Having all that money in the (offshore) bank means they can afford the massive cost to do this, and bury their competition.
Not an Apples to well even a similar fruit comparison but GM appears to pass on the India masses temptation due to low margin low end models. The SE while still pricey by India ave consumer standards might trickle down from upper middle classes to masses in a year or to used so Apple might still succeed. At least it is still a standard model sort of. Apple still selling SE in Japan by budget brand Y mobile JP. If low tier autos make a come back as western world goes broke outsourcing to developing countries then GM long term might miss but near term seems India not worth the commitments from a high end auto mfg. Time will tell but why the early bets important get it right great return get it wrong so long capital.