)
Google’s Android platform will see a huge leap in its smartphone user base in India in 2014 and drive Apple into an insignificant status.
Kinda like what South Indian superstar Rajinikanth does to his foes in movie after movie.
As Tamil movie fans know well, by the time Rajinikanth leaves the battle field his enemies have lost the use of all their limbs. 😉
For Apple, already irrelevant in the Indian smartphone sector, Android’s huge growth in 2014 and 2015 will crush its aspirations for the iPhone in a key emerging market and make it extremely hard if not impossible to gain ground.
2014 – Android Celebration
In 2014, market researchers expect 225 million smartphones to be sold in India (versus 89 million units projected for the U.S.).
The Indian mobile phone market is still dominated by feature phones which account for 78% of all cell phones.
Of the 225 million smartphones projected to be sold in India this year, I expect over 80% will run Google’s Android software.
The bulk of Android’s growth in India will come from cheap Chinese smartphones without a big brand image. Not from high-end Android players like Samsung or HTC whose phones have the latest bells and whistles.
Smartphones, often running older versions of the Android software like Ice Cream Sandwich or Jelly Bean, can be had for as low as $100 in India. And they will rule the roost for the foreseeable future in India.
Apple’s iPhones (even the older models like the iPhone 4) are several times more expensive, putting them out of reach of majority of Indians.
Apple’s current share of the Indian smartphone market is insignificant, likely in the 1%-2% range.
Don’t be surprised if Apple’s share of the Indian smartphone market slips below 1% over the next 18-months.
By the way, Apple’s reported moves to push the three-generation-old iPhone 4 (8GB) in India is silly. Indians may be poor but they’re not dumb to pay a premium for old junk.
Although sinking elsewhere, Blackberry still has a large base in India with several medium and large businesses and financial institutions offering it to their employees.
iPhone’s Fate in India – Like Rajini’s Victims added by SearchIndia.com on
View all posts by SearchIndia.com →
You say: “The bulk of Android’s growth in India will come from cheap Chinese smartphones without a big brand image.”
I think it was two years ago or so, that these so called “Korean mobiles” ruled here. Today I don’t see much of them owning them. For Smartphones, I notice people going for Micromax or Karbonn (local brands, still better than the Chinese no-brand ones, although these get manufactured in China or Taiwan or elsewhere) when they cannot afford Samsung high end phones.
By the way, did you see Nokia coming out with an Android (forked out) phone? I don’t think this will fly, due to lack of features such as Google Play store, etc with a price tag of Rs.8600 (I can get a decent samsung android smart phone for this). Yet, some clowns might rely on it for its battery life, etc.
http://indianexpress.com/article/technology/mobile-tabs/six-things-that-make-nokia-x-stand-out-from-android/
By the way, the point on Build quality was interesting in the above article.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. Android Open Source software was merely a Trojan horse Google used to destroy Apple and dominate the mobile platform. And what a success it has been – Since Google now owns 80% of the smartphone market, Android will become more close-sourced through Google Mobile Services.
As for Android and Google’s control over it via GMS (Google Mobile Services), it’s clear that Google is the Microsoft of yesterday speaking from a proprietary, closed wall perspective.
Lesson for Android-dependent vendors like Samsung, HTC etc is that there’s No Free Lunch. It’ll be increasingly harder for Samsung, Amazon Kindle (tablets) etc to maintain their unique software stack running on Android for long.
2. Microsoft too has no hope in India unless it slashes prices further. The Nokia X is indicative of Microsoft’s desperation for market-share – It will try every possible trick in the book but will ultimately succeed only on price. With its restrictive, limited features, only discounts on an already low price can help Nokia X in the market.
Even in the U.S., Microsoft is floundering. Satya Nadella has no hope with Windows Mobile in U.S. or India unless he can find a trick to connect/bundle Windows Mobile Phones with Xbox and offer the combo at an attractive price, a difficult proposition unless you have a cheap Xbox entry-level version (upgradeable to full features with extra payment).
3. Rest of India market, i.e. lower middle class and lower classes will buy a smartphone based mostly on price. And that’s where Apple gets completely screwed as will Samsung, HTC and other pricey phones eventually.
4. If history offers any lessons, it’s that you merely exchange one set of monsters (Microsoft) for another (Apple/Google).
The monster analogy is valid for any domain including the Modi vs Rahul battle currently being played out in India.
Rajini is no longer boxofficeindia.com king in Tamil Cinema.
Kuselan is colossal flop.
Sivaji movie forced AVM studios to shut down its Cinema business.
Endhiran brought losses to Distributors and Theatre Owners.
Only Rajini association with Top most Corrupt Politicians is forcing Theatre owners and distributors to release his film.
Everything is not what it seems. It includes Modi hysteria created by Media and Business People.
For example, as many as three times the crowd that attended Modi meeting in Chennai, attended Karunanidhi meeting in Trichy, yet Brahmin media refused to recognise this and is blinded because of love towards BJP, Jayalalitha.
Even Muslims have much more social awareness and accountability than ignorant Brahmins or any other Hindu fanatics.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. You must offer some credible English links to support your claim that Sivaji and Enthiran were big flops. I’m not concerned about Kuselan.
2. Since almost every Indian politician is extremely corrupt, it’s Not Rajini’s fault if he shakes hand or associates with any politician.
3. Media is not dominated by Brahmins anymore.
Check the links https://mobile.twitter.com/FabFlickz/status/430690361883639808
andhraboxoffice.com/forum/default.aspx?g=posts&t=461
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Not credible links.
Check this link, it was also a big flop in Hindi and had lot of prints, yet grossed lessee than 3 idiots.
bollywoodboxofficeindia.wordpress.com/2010/11/01/endhiran-the-robot-life-time-estimated-collections/
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Aamir Khan has a pan-Indian appeal.
Rajini is a South Indian (mainly Tamil) phenomenon.
For your information; The Hindu, Dinamalar, Dinamani, Vikatan Group, Times of India, Jaya TV, and many more are dominated by Brahmins and replicate Brahmin Views, celebrate Brahmin leaders.
Educated guys like me suffer from Ignorance and Stupidity of Brahmins in Life, while uneducated guys seems to enjoy the roost.
Brahmins are irrational and main reason why India is always ruled by Crooks. They don’t have any guts to fight the crooks and instead bully, victimize millions of helpless, pathetic Indians.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Ah, I have attained Nirvana.
For I’ve now understood the root cause of India’s problems and misery – Brahmins.
India’s population – 1.2 billion
Brahmins population – 56 million
So these 56 million “ignorant, stupid and irrational” (your words) people are responsible for India’s distressing plight.
If only we can get rid of this 56 million maggots, then India will surely turn into a Paradise on Earth.
Ha ha ha!
The last time I checked, Indian politics, bureaucracy, judiciary, higher education, and media were not dominated by Brahmins (thanks to reservations, absence of vote bank, migration, and numerical insignificance).
Source for Brahmins population in India – http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?234783
I never meant that 56 millions to get rid of, but inspite of their achievements, higher position given in society by poor; in the past 20 years or so, they never contributed to socio-economic development or justice to millions of Poor people crushed under kleptomaniac individuals of India.
Only if Brahmins have resisted crony capitalist attitude of Politicians, Business Men and Celebrities, India would not have decayed so much as of now.
I don’t know about previous generations of Brahmins, but present generations don’t promote Human Virtues or Talent in the rotten India.
Almost all major Indian medias (ndtv, ccn ibn, headlines today…) are sponsored by congress and communist party.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Some media companies may have connections to major parties but sections of Indian media are still relatively free.
It’s not very different in the U.S.
Fox News is openly pro-Republican Party and helped in creation of Tea Party. Makes good money for Murdoch.
But politicians starting Newspapers/TV channels is rare here.
@ thedarkknight
“Media is sponsored by Communist parties.”
Absolute Crap.
Even if Communist say anything useful for India, Media has the habit of rewriting it to damage the real intentions of Communist parties.
I agree that Communist parties aren’t saints, but they have courage to point out atrocities carried out by Corporates and Private Concerns destroying environment for sake of building Industries.
You upper middle class bully, the dark knight. Have some heart and speak truth.