GST impact: Apple cuts iPhone, iPad prices in India

A day after the Goods and Services Tax (GST) came into practice, Apple on Saturday reduced the retail prices of iPhones, iPads, Macs and Apple Watch models for its consumers in India.

The ₹60,000 Apple iPhone 7 (32GB variant) can now be purchased at ₹56,200. The ₹70,000 iPhone 7 (128GB) is now available for ₹65,200 and the ₹80,000 256GB variant at ₹74,400.

The base model (32GB) of Apple iPhone 7 Plus is now available at ₹67,300 as opposed to ₹72,000 previously.

The 32GB model of iPhone SE (₹27,200), being assembled in Bengaluru, will now cost ₹26,000. The 32GB iPhone 6s (₹50,000) is now available at ₹46,900.

The new prices have taken the basic customs duty (BCD) of 10 per cent into account.

"I think it is a good move ahead of the upcoming festive season. We believe the best way for Apple to increase their share in India is to bridge the gap between affordability and aspirational value of iPhone. Even in the past, they have tasted success with 4S, 5S and iPhone 6 when reduced the price," Tarun Pathak, Senior Analyst, Mobile Devices and Ecosystems at New Delhi-based Counterpoint Research, told IANS.

"By the end of 2017, we believe iPhone 6 and SE can be the flagships through which most users are going to enter the Apple ecosystem for the first time ever," Pathak added.

India has gained a significant place in the Apple scheme of things in the recent past.

Apple CEO Tim Cook recently told Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was visiting the US, that his company is positive about the production of the iPhone SE in Bengaluru.

According to industry sources, Cook apprised the Prime Minister about the production of Apple's popular iPhone SE model at its Bengaluru facility and the app developers working for Apple.

In May, Apple began the initial production of a small number of iPhone SE in Bengaluru, where it had opened its App Accelerator to provide specialised support for developers earlier this year in March.

Apart from iPhones, Apple also slashed prices of iPads, Macs and Apple Watch.

According to experts, the price drop post-GST will help Apple cement its position in the challenging Indian market. Currently, Apple has 3 per cent market share by volume and 11 per cent by value in the country.