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    Apple makes strong India bid with disruptive streaming service at Rs 99, slashing iPhone XR prices

    Synopsis

    The tech giant has lowered the price of iPhone XR, its highest selling model in India and globally, to Rs 49,900.

    iPhone 11, 11 Pro, 11 Max: Key features and price details
    NEW DELHI: Apple has entered into the video streaming service segment with a bang - at Rs 99 a month, which is cheaper than the existing services from Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hotstar and some others. The pricing also makes AppleTV+ the cheapest monthly plan for Apple anywhere in the world. In the US market, for instance, the monthly plan is $5 (about Rs 350).

    "The pricing is extremely aggressive... It should get initial good response," said Navkendar Singh, research director, IDC India. He added however that adding more content to its library will be key to the success of the service in India.

    AppleTV+ will be available from November 1 across iPhone, iPad and Mac, and will be available on other platforms like Amazon FireStick, for non-Apple users in the future. The Cupertino-based smartphone maker will offer a year of the service free with sales of its new iPhones - iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max - and iPads. At the same monthly pricing of Rs 99, Apple has also opened up its gaming service called Apple Arcade to India.

    "Apple has made a clear intent in its push towards offering interesting value propositions to its user base and ramping up its service revenue from services as well as hardware," said Prabhu Ram, head of intelligence group at Cybermedia Research.


    The new range of iPhones begins from Rs 64,900, which analysts said has also been priced much better in the Indian context, which can lead to prices of older models being reduced. "The new iPhones will have a timely entry in India one month ahead in festive season which should help to drive sales," said Tarun Pathak, research director at Counterpoint Research.

    "The price adjustments in Q2 led to a surge in sales for iPhone XR. Even in a price sensitive market like India, the Rs 56,000 pricing made it the best selling iPhone for Apple in Q2," he added.

    On Wednesday morning, Apple lowered market price of the iPhone XR, its highest selling model in India and globally, to Rs 49,900, from its promotional offer price of Rs 56,900. The model was launched at Rs 76,900 last year. The price of iPhone 8 has also been cut to Rs 29,900, from its launch price of Rs 64,000 in 2017.


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