iPhone 5s and 5c sales reportedly off to strong start in India
When Apple introduced the iPhone 5s and 5c during its September media event, the company touted that both devices would be available in more than 100 countries by December.
Since then, Apple has slowly but surely rolled out both iPhone models to an ever-growing number of countries. On October 25, Apple's new iPhones launched in 35 new countries. This past Friday saw both new iPhone models hit stores in an additional 16 countries, including India.
Apple has been trying to improve sales in India for some time now, and so far it seems as if Apple's new iPhone lineup is proving to be quite the hit in the country.
After launching in India this past Friday, The Economic Times this Sunday indicated that both devices have been selling extremely well:
Apple has completely sold out its premium iPhone 5s in India in less than 24 hours of its retail launch, while the iPhone 5c model has become the fastest-moving model in stores and is expected to be sold-out during the weekend, the country's top multibrand cellphone retail chains said.
This is the first time a new iPhone model got sold out in India in such a short span of its launch, with fresh stock of iPhone 5s available again from Wednesday. Sales of the lowerpriced colourful iPhone 5c, however, picked up pace only from Saturday with consumers buying the model since 5s was sold out, mirroring a global trend.
While this is ostensibly great news, it's hard to really appreciate the significance without first being aware of what iPhone 5s and 5c supply levels were like on Friday. It's no secret, after all, that iPhone 5s supply remains rather lean even a few weeks out from launch.
Nonetheless, struggling to meet demand is undoubtedly a "problem" that most other companies would love to grapple with. Further, with the iPhone currently ranked sixth in terms of smartphone sales in India, word that the iPhone 5s and 5c are off to great starts must be welcome news to the higher-ups at Apple.
