iPhone 15 sale: This Ahmedabad man waited 17 hours outside Apple BKC to be first buyer
iPhone 15 sales begin with long queues; Apple offers discounts and trade-in programme in India.
iPhone 15 sales live: As Apple's latest flagship smartphone lineup hit stores on Friday, long queues of eager early bird buyers were seen to grab the iPhone Series 15. Among them, one customer from Ahmedabad said he waited for nearly 17 hours outside India's first Apple store at Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai to buy the first iPhone.
"I have been here since 3pm yesterday. I waited in the queue for 17 hours to get the first iPhone at India's first Apple store. I have come from Ahmedabad," the man told news agency ANI.
He enthusiastically mentioned his choice of purchase, opting for the iPhone 15 Pro Max model in white titanium, the 256 GB variant, along with the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and the latest AirPods. When asked about his thoughts on Apple as a brand, he simply smiled and said, "Best hai" (It's the best).
“I am very happy that I got these on the very first day,” he concluded.
iPhone Series 15 pricing and discounts
Apple India is currently offering discounts on the iPhone Series 15 models, providing immediate savings of ₹6,000 on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, as well as ₹5,000 on the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus for customers using an eligible HDFC Bank card for online purchases.
Here are the revised prices:
• iPhone 15: ₹74,900, down from its original price of ₹79,900.
• iPhone 15 Plus: ₹84,900, reduced from ₹89,900.
• iPhone 15 Pro: ₹128,900, marked down from ₹1,34,900.
• iPhone 15 Pro Max: ₹153,900, originally priced at ₹159,900.
Customers enjoy the flexibility of choosing from various EMI monthly instalment plans and can also opt for no-cost EMI plans over 3 or 6 months, which are available from select banks.
Furthermore, Apple provides a trade-in program that allows customers to receive additional discounts by exchanging their current smartphone for an Apple device.
Apple's growing impact on India's smartphone market
Apple is poised to capture a larger share of India's smartphone sales, particularly with the high-end iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max models accounting for a significant portion of its shipments.
Market research from Counterpoint suggests that the company is expected to represent 7% of all smartphone sales in India from July to December, a notable increase from the 5% observed in the first half of 2023, Reuters reported.
Notably, wait times for Apple's latest 15 Pro and Pro Max models in India extend well into late October, on the lines of trends witnessed in China and the United States.
Counterpoint estimates that these models will contribute to 25% of the overall iPhone 15 shipments in India during the fourth quarter, reflecting a 4% growth compared to the previous generation's top-range models in the same period a year earlier.