Eyeing bigger pie: Bumper shipments of Apple iPhone 13 for festive season

In anticipation of bumper sales during the forthcoming festive season, Apple is shipping in a record 600,000 iPhone 13 models. The new flagship phone that is going live in India today has attracted higher pre-orders than last year’s iPhone 12, prompting the company to increase its initial shipments by a good amount.

Last year, Apple imported a record 500,000 iPhone 12s models for the launch. This time, it has increased the initial shipment by 20 per cent, according to data sourced from analyst firm CyberMedia Research (CMR).

According to industry sources, steady pre-booking orders and the growth momentum that Apple is enjoying in the local market of late, were the reasons for the decision. Unlike pre­vious years, this time iPhone pre-orders have been simultaneously launched in India alongs­ide the key markets of the US, the UK, Canada and China. And the timelines for the iPhone 13 becoming available will also be similar.  

“Our assessment indicates that the early availability of the iPhone 13 series in India will enable Apple to keep its growth momentum in the run-up to the all-important festive season. Given the level of pre-orders, I believe that Apple is potentially on course for its best performance ever this year in India,” said Prabhu Ram, head of the industry intelligence group at CMR. 

CMR estimates that after posting record sales in the June quarter, Apple is set to break its own record by shipping in close to five million iPhones by the end of 2021. While sales of the iPhone 11 and 12 have been superior to any of the previous generation iPhones, the iPhone 13 is expected to push sales further. “Moreover, the discounts on the older-generation iPhone 12 series will only boost Apple’s fortunes in the coming days,” said Ram.

In 2017, Apple sold some 3.2 million iPhones in India – a figure it has yet to match.

According to Navkendar Singh, research director at IDC India, with prices of the iPhone 11 and 12 series dropping further, their sales will increase.  Incidentally, since the pre-orders for the iPhone 13 started a week ago, Apple has reduced the maximum retail prices of the iPhone 12 models by 15-18 per cent. Experts estimate that these discounts and offers will effectively make the price of these models even lower as the iPhone 13 hits the market.

Last year, supply chain disruptions forced Apple to delay the market launch of its Pro devices beyond Diwali and this impacted their sales.  This year will be different as it is launching all four new models simultaneously weeks ahead of Navratri and Diwali.

Also, the effective price of the new iPhone 13 is lower as compared with the iPhone 12 because Apple has doubled the storage capacities and upgraded key features such as the camera, at the same price points.

Finally, its aggressive retail push through its India Online Store and premium reseller partners has expanded its reach significantly. As per estimates, Apple’s retail reach through offline reseller partners has grown to more than 12,000 outlets, up from less than 10,000 a year ago.

• Apple imported 500,000 iPhone 12s models for the launch in 2020
• In 2017, the company sold some 3.2 million iPhones in India – a figure it has yet to match
• It has reduced the maximum retail prices of iPhone 12 models by 15-18% since last week
• Apple’s retail reach through offline reseller partners has grown to more than 12,000 outlets