Apple Pulls The Plug On The iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6S Plus And SE In India

Apple has stopped selling iPhone SE, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and iPhone 6s Plus phones in India. According to GSMArena, the Cupertino, California based company has struggled to get a grip on the crowded mobile device market in the country.

The company intends to focus on driving value in India instead of chasing volumes of phone sales. Apple executives further added that they had already informed distributors and traders of the move last month.

Currently, the four models are now out of stock on Amazon India, but the company has stated that they will be listed available on their US website. Flipkart, another online retail company in the country, has also delisted the smartphones in their catalog.

According to sources, the choice was taken after Apple improved its profits in India from 2018 to 2019. Currently, the company is focusing on pushing the latest and higher-priced iPhones on the Indian market.

A top industry executive said that the company's sales in the April-June quarter have improved following a drop on iPhone XR prices. In FY 2018, Apple's revenue grew by 12% to Rs 13,097 crore while net profits doubled to 13,097 after RoC disclosures.

Last year, Apple reduced the number of distributors in India from five to two and decided to give discounts to premium iPhone units. According to a leading trade partner of the company, the American phone makers "do not want Apple India to chase volumes by discounting at the cost of profit."

Another executive bared that the Cupertino based tech-firm has "not given up on the potential of the Indian market." He added that the company is still going to continue "rolling out promos like buy-back programs and cashback offers."

The loss of the iPhone SE, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and iPhone 6s Plus in the Indian market would undoubtedly be a problem for lower and middle-class consumers. Analysts estimate that the iPhone shipments will fall-down following the announcement, and may continue to drop until next year. Apple has declined to remark on the matter.

Apple used to make the iPhone SE and iPhone 6 in India, along with the iPhone 7. The discontinuation of the iPhone SE and iPhone 6 in the country could mean that the plants will be used to expand the production of newer iPhone models.

To further improve their service in India, the upcoming iOS 13 will allow Siri to talk and understand Indian English. It will include support on maps for navigation and other productivity application.