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New Delhi, July 4 (IANS) Jio's new launch increases competitive intensity but the impact is limited, Goldman Sachs has said in a report. "We believe Jio's new product launch (announced 3rd July post market) should help it garner incremental wireless subscribers, which we would view as a positive catalyst for the RIL stock. However, with the industry feature phone base continuing to decline (50-60 mn total shipments in FY23), we see the potential revenue impact, while positive for Jio and negative for Bharti, as likely to be limited," Goldman Sachs said. Jio announced the launch of a new entry level 4G feature phone, the <keyword id="17888391" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="jiobharat" source="Orion">JioBharat</keyword> (JB) phone in addition to new entry priced unlimited plans. This opens a segment below Jio phones, priced at Rs 999 (below most 2G feature-phones). The new plan for JB phones offers unlimited voice calls and 14GB data at Rs 123 per month, lower than Bharti's and IDEA's unlimited plans at Rs 179 per month. JB phones run on a RTOS developed by Jio and manufactured by Karbonn in addition to other OEMs. JP Morgan said in a report that this could disrupt the 2G market and help Jio gain share post fading success of Jio phone devices. Bharti recently raised 2G prices from Rs 99 to Rs 155 across all circles while Vi took this in one circle. This disruptive step can halt incremental tariff increases for 2G and help JIO gain share in that segment, the report said. Jio already had become aggressive at the premium end in March'23 through aggressive postpaid plans in addition to fiber pricing. We think this is negative for both Bharti and IDEA given returning disruption and tariff aggression at the bottom of the pyramid and signals lack of support for 4G tariff actions, it added. Reliance Jio is launching an entry-level phone with more aggressive plans vs. the competition to attract feature phone users. While the price point is competitive, given a break-even period of over 15 months for a new user, we do not view this as immediately disruptive for Bharti but would be watchful, Morgan Stanley said in a note.

Jio’s new launch could disrupt the 2G market say analysts

<keyword id="6355199" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="reliance-industries" source="Orion">Reliance Industries</keyword> - India's largest corporate by revenues, profits and market value - topped 2021 Wizikey News Score ranking as India's most visible corporate in the media. The recognition comes on the back of Exchange4Media Group's recognition recently to Reliance as one of India's Brands with Best In-house Communications Professionals 2021. Role of a vibrant and savvy Corporate Communications team is extremely important in ensuring media visibility for any company. Wizikey's News Score is world's first standardised metric to measure news visibility for brands and individuals using Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, Machine Learning and media intelligence. The News Score takes into account various key criteria like volume of news, headlines presence, the reach of publications, readership and the like. The score ranges from 0 to 100, and is based on monitoring of over 5000 publications. It represents the media presence of a brand in publications that matter. For its No 1 position Reliance has a News Score of 84.9 for 2021, followed by State Bank of India, Bharti Airtel, Infosys, Tata Motors. Only a few global companies like Google and Facebook have a score above 90. Reliance's News Score excludes standalone headline mentions of 'Jio'. The inclusion should have meaningfully enhanced the score. Reliance made quite a few key announcements this year across its businesses, as well as philanthropic initiatives, which played a key role in its media visibility. Reliance was at the forefront of India's fight against Covid during the second wave in 2021. Most importantly, it transformed its manufacturing units to emerge India's single largest medical oxygen producer equivalent of 11 per cent of India's total production. Reliance supplied over 1000 MT per day liquid oxygen to support over one lakh hospitalized patients free of cost. Reliance also carried out the largest vaccine drive among India Inc to administer over 2.5 million vaccine doses to its employees, their families, as well as members of society. Reliance announced its road map to lead India's transition to Green Energy, including four Giga Factories at Jamnagar with over $10 billion of investment commitments Reliance announced five key collaborations - NexWafe, REC, Ambri, Sterling &amp; Wilson Solar and Stiesdal - for critical next generation technologies and implementation capabilities to drive its Green Energy foray. Reliance commissioned two gas fields in KG basin and successfully conducted auctions to sell its gas to domestic consumers. Reliance is now on its way to contribute 15 per cent of India's total natural gas requirement. Reliance Jio augmented its spectrum by 55 per cent in the auctions held in March 2021 and emerged the largest holder of sub-GHz and 2300 MHz bands. Reliance launched the most affordable smartphone 'Jio Phone Next' in collaboration with Google at an entry level cost of Rs 1,999. The phone runs on optimized version of Google's Android OS called 'Pragati OS'. In line with its vision to add technology-led solutions to serve customers better, Reliance group also made a few acquisitions during the year. They included JustDial, SkyTran, and Urban Ladder. Jio-bp launched their first fuel retailing outlet to start offering additivated fuels and a differentiated value proposition. Reliance has been a leading newsmaker among Indian corporates in the past as well. SEE ALSO <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/snapdeal-ipo-paper-reveals-that-it-is-going-offline/articleshow/88408081.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Snapdeal IPO papers reveal the e-tailer’s offline aspirations for budget fashion</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/mapmyindia-ipo-makes-a-positive-stock-market-debut/articleshow/88403594.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">MapmyIndia debuts below expectation but IPO investors still make a sweet 53% return on listing</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/zepto-raised-100-million-at-570-valuation-to-deliver-product-in-10-minutes/articleshow/88394937.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Two teenage Stanford dropouts have made their startup worth half a billion in 7 months</a>

Reliance Industries ranked as India's most visible corporate in media

<ul><li>Ambani might announce the launch of Jio Phone 3, which is yet another branded and economical smartphone. </li><li>Ambani could also be speaking of his grand plans on fixed line or fibre-to-home FTTH business. </li><li>Jio has plans to FTTH across 1,600 cities thereby connecting<a href="https://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/reliance-jio-targets-75-million-homes-with-fibre-to-home-roll-out-119070801357_1.html"> 75 million homes</a>. </li></ul> It might be an interesting year to watch what India richest man would tell his shareholders. In the last few years, he has been busy painting a lush green picture of his latest venture—Reliance Jio which disrupted India’s telecom market or will say something that shareholders would want to listen- that he is increasing prices? Yet, the whole industry is expecting them to speak about the launch of Jio Phone 3, which is yet another branded and economical smartphone from the Jio stable. In addition, Ambani could also be speaking of his grand plans to launch fixed line or fibre-to-home FTTH business. “In countries with better developed communication infrastructure, more than 80% of data consumption happens indoors through fixed-line connectivity in homes, in offices and other premises,” Ambani said in his last AGM. The company is known to have conducted a soft launch of FTTH at a few cities already. It plans to launch it across 1,600 cities thereby connecting<a href="https://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/reliance-jio-targets-75-million-homes-with-fibre-to-home-roll-out-119070801357_1.html"> 75 million homes</a>. Telecom to retail Ambani does not intend to keep his telecom business separate from other businesses. He has been hinting that he would integrate his retail business and use the might of telecom connectivity and apps, to create an entity that can rival Amazon. Jeff Bezos, one of the few top billionaires of the world, now seems to be intent on<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/jeff-bezos-amazon-may-buy-stake-in-mukesh-ambanis-reliance-retail/articleshow/70476636.cms"> buying out stake</a> this possible e-commerce giant in the making. When Ambani enters a consumer business, he tends to wipe out the rivals, which is a reason why Bezos wants to land a piece of the pie. “We are determined to connect everyone and everything, everywhere – always at the highest quality and the most affordable price,” Ambani said in 2018, sounding off an alarm.

What to expect from Mukesh Ambani at Reliance Industries' AGM

<ul><li><keyword id="6374020" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Anant-Ambani">Anant Ambani</keyword> is the youngest son of <keyword id="3820" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mukesh-Ambani">Mukesh Ambani</keyword>, the current chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries.</li><li>Anant, who has stayed away from his family business so far, has joined Jio Platforms as an additional director.</li><li>Delivering his first keynote speech, Anant Ambani said, “Reliance meri jaan hai”.</li></ul>Anant Ambani, the youngest son of Mukesh Ambani, has joined Jio Platforms as director. The wholly owned subsidiary of Reliance Industries has been in the news for the past few weeks as it received <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/mukesh-ambani-may-not-be-done-selling-stake-in-jio-even-after-one-sixth-of-the-telco-is-already-out-of-his-hands/articleshow/75892898.cms">billions of dollars of investment</a> from Facebook, KKR, Vista and others. But who is Anant Ambani? The 25-year old is the third child of Mukesh and Nita Ambani. He’s the latest in the Ambani family to join the business, delivering a keynote speech at the birth anniversary of his late grandfather and RIL founder Dhirubhai Ambani. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="71514281" title="Meet the new generation of Ambanis — Isha, Akash, Anant, Anshul and Anmol" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> “India should lead the change and Reliance should be at the forefront of that change. Reliance meri jaan hai (Reliance is my life),” he said during his speech. Anant Ambani <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/more-than-half-of-transportation-and-logistics-professionals-still-use-a-pen-and-paper-to-manage-their-supply-chain-heres-how-blockchain-could-change-that/articleshow/71513443.cms">spent most of his life</a> at Jamnagar, Gujarat. He studied at the Dhirubhai Ambani International School and completed his graduation from Brown University in 2017. He lost a whopping 108 kilos in 18 months <div type="image" title="Anant Ambani" msid="76006049" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Anant Ambani before and after the weight loss.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Anant is known for being involved in social activities with his mother. But most prominently, he’s known for his drastic weight loss – he lost 108 kilos in less than 18 months. Anant has a history of chronic asthma, and the medication he took for this was the reason behind his massive weight gain. He shed the flab with a <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/photo-stories/this-diet-had-helped-anant-ambani-shed-108-kgs/photostory/62381982.cms">combination of dietary changes</a> and a strict exercise regimen of 5-6 hours a day. Anantvilas, a luxury resort by The Oberoi Group, is named after him The Oberoi Group, known for its luxury hotels across and outside the country, <a href="https://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/oberoi-luxury-resort-to-be-named-after-mukesh-ambani-s-son-anant-119090100749_1.html">announced</a> its first urban luxury resort in September last year. Called Oberoi Anantvilas, the resort is named after Anant Ambani. The resort is located in a real estate corridor owned and operated by Reliance Industries and the Maker group. Joining the family business <div type="image" title="Anant and Akash Ambani" msid="75996531" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Anant and Akash Ambani.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> While his elder siblings Isha and Akash had joined the family business early and delivered speeches during the launch of the Jio Phone 2, Anant stayed away so far. Now at the age of 25 years, he joins Isha and Akash as an additional director on the board of Jio Platforms. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/meet-the-new-generation-of-ambanis-isha-akash-anant-anshul-and-anmol/articleshow/71514281.cms">Meet the new generation of Ambanis — Isha, Akash, Anant, Anshul and Anmol</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/mukesh-ambani-may-not-be-done-selling-stake-in-jio-even-after-one-sixth-of-the-telco-is-already-out-of-his-hands/articleshow/75892898.cms">Mukesh Ambani may not be done selling stake in Jio even after one-sixth of the telco is already out of his hands</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/markets/news/how-to-apply-for-reliance-industries-rights-issue-shares/articleshow/75862683.cms">How to apply for RIL rights issue shares</a>

Mukesh Ambani’s youngest son Anant Ambani who said “Reliance meri jaan hai” joins Jio Platforms as Director

Indian telecom giants <keyword id="15491" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="airtel">Airtel</keyword> and Reliance <keyword id="2003276" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="jio">Jio</keyword> have been at loggerheads even before Jio made its super grand entry into the telecom space in India. The two telcos have fought for the top spot to become the number one telecom operator in the country but now it seems like the two are busy fighting it out to gain the position of ‘the most affordable smartphone’ in India. Airtel today announced yet another partnership with smartphone maker <keyword id="1087300" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Celkon">Celkon</keyword> to offer 4G smartphone at Rs. 1349. Reliance Jio had announced its Jio phone earlier this year at a famously “effectively free” price of Rs. 1499 wherein customers will have to pay for the services only for a fixed period of three years. Competing directly with the Jio phone, under Jio’s “India ka smartphone” campaign, Airtel’s partnership is part of ‘Mera Pehla Smartphone’ initiative where Airtel plans to collaborate with device manufacturers to bring smartphones at the price of a feature phone. Airtel had earlier introduced an <keyword id="6355645" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="android">Android</keyword> smartphone (<keyword id="145729" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Karbonn">Karbonn</keyword> A40) in association with Karbonn. The Android touchscreen smartphone with dual SIM functionality came at an effective price of Rs. 1,399. However Reliance Jio seems to have hit bit of a roadblock with Jio phone according to a report by Factor Daily. The Report suggests that Reliance Jio has stopped the production of its VoLTE feature phone and is now planning to launch an Android smartphone. The JioPhone runs KaiOS and came packed with all of Jio’s own apps including JioChat, JioMusic, JioTV, Jio Cinema and others. The OS does not support many of the widely used apps such as <keyword id="6354576" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="facebook">Facebook</keyword>, WhatsApp and others. But this walled garden approach did not really work for Jio as these apps have been extremely popular with the consumers. Airtel on the other hand is clearly specifying that the Airtel smartphones will “offer full access to all apps on <keyword id="6355629" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Google">Google</keyword> Play Store, including <keyword id="10879" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="YouTube">YouTube</keyword>, Facebook and WhatsApp”, apart from preloaded Airtel apps such as MyAirtel App, Wynk Music and Airtel TV. While both players are ultimately trying to lap up subscribers on their network through their new feature-ish smatphones, they should know that the smartphone market is changing rapidly in India and the consumers are increasingly going for experience more than affordability.

Airtel-Reliance Jio battle heats up yet again but on a whole new battleground

<ul><li>Jio has hiked its mobile tariff plans by as much as 35% and is set to make the Jio Phone and Jio Fiber more expensive.</li><li>While the consumers are ruing this expected hike in mobile tariffs, investors of Reliance Industries are cheering.</li><li>The company’s profit may go up by 8% and the share price may jump as much as 27% over the next one year.</li></ul> Reliance Industries, or RIL as it is popularly known, share price jumped over 1.5% on Wednesday morning, the first trading day after Jio revealed its new tariff plans that became 35% more expensive for its users. 
 
 
 
 
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 If you owned shares of RIL, you would be far more excited than if you were just a Jio customer. The tariff hike announced by Jio can boost the company’s earnings by as much as 8%, according to CLSA. The profit may grow further as JioPhone is expected to get costlier. 
 
 
 
 
 <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="72377359" title="Jio's new ₹599 ‘all-in-one’ subscriptions offer the biggest bang for your buck" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>











 The company reported earnings per share (EPS) of about ₹55 at the end of March 2019, and a dividend of ₹6 for every share held. If your phone usage is ₹1,000 a month, you will need 2,000 shares if you consider only the dividend amount, and it remains unchanged this year. At the current prices, it would cost you ₹32 lakh in investment. If you have that kind of capital for investment, you are probably not worried about your phone bills. This is helpful only for those frugal enough to care. But buying shares will not only save you the cost of mobile services, it can grow your capital too. 
 
 
 
 
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 CLSA expects the share price of RIL to be ₹2,010 in the next 12 months⁠— that’s a 25% gain from the current level. This is what you get aside from the dividend, which would have covered your cost. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/mukesh-ambani-starts-another-tariff-war-with-jio-fibers-rock-bottom-tariffs/articleshow/72377446.cms">Mukesh Ambani starts another tariff war with Jio Fiber's rock-bottom tariffs</a>

Here’s a way to recover some of the rise in Jio’s new tariff plan⁠— buy RIL shares

When you want to check your Jio balance, you can do it in two ways. Follow these steps to know your balance instantly on your Jio phone. Method-1 to check <keyword id="3453404" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="jio-mobile">jio Mobile</keyword> Balance with code Go to phone app which you use for making calls. Dial *333# on your Jio SIM for which you wish to know the balance. Within seconds, you will get your Reliance Jio balance information displayed on your screen. Method – 2 to check jio mobile balance from SMS Go to the messaging app on your phone which you use to send messages. Send a text message “MBAL” to the number 55333. (This is free to use service and will not cost you anything) You will receive a SMS that will give you the Jio balance details. How to know your prepaid balance and validity Go to the messaging app on your phone that you use to send messages. Send an SMS typing “BAL” to the number 199. You will get a message from Reliance Jio that will give you the prepaid balance you have on your SIM and the validity of the pack that you have paid for. How to know your postpaid bill amount It is also possible to make use of USSD codes offered by Jio to know the bill amount of your postpaid Reliance Jio service. Go to the messaging app of your phone. Type in “BILL” and send the message to the number 199. Instantly you will receive a message from the network provider that will give you the details of your billed amount you need to pay. See Also - <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/how-to-activate-jio-sim/articleshow/69711025.cms">How to activate Jio Sim</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/how-to-check-validity-of-vodafone-prepaid-account/articleshow/74610715.cms">How to check the Validity of Vodafone prepaid account</a>

how to check jio balance from enquiry number and code

<keyword id="6354924" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Idea-Cellular">Idea Cellular</keyword> said it will launch a phone to counter <keyword id="6354504" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Reliance-Jio">Reliance Jio</keyword>Phone, raising net neutrality concerns about Reliance Jio's 4G phones. Idea said JioPhone will allow the apps of the operator's choice only. "One of the concerns is about net neutrality. It will not allow most of the apps which a customer prefers and the choice of apps may not work because it is forcing consumers to use an individual operator's apps," Himanshu Kapania, the managing director of Idea Cellular Limited, the third largest telco operator, said in an analyst call. Kapania further said it remains to be seen as to how the proposed Jio phone, which does not have features like a smartphone, serves those wanting to browse the Internet. Meanwhile, he said Idea is working with mobilephone manufacturers to launch its own, slightly expensive phone This new handset will give all the choices to a customer, including to choose the operator of his/her choice, popular applications like <keyword id="6355629" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Google">Google</keyword>, Facebook or Whatsapp, Kapania stressed.

Idea to launch own handset to counter Reliance JioPhone

New Delhi, Feb 7 () About 152.5 million smartphones were shipped in India in 2019 registering a "modest" 8 per cent growth over last year, positioning the country as the second-largest smartphone market after China, research firm IDC said on Friday. For 2020, IDC said the Indian smartphone market is expected to see "modest single-digit growth" in the year. According to the IDC data, the overall mobile phone market, with annual shipments of 282.9 million units, declined 12.3 per cent year-on-year in 2019 due to fewer 4G feature phones. Xiaomi registered annual shipments of 43.6 million units in 2019, the highest-ever smartphone shipments made by any brand in a year, with a growth of 9.2 per cent y-o-y and cornered 28.6 per cent market share. Samsung followed in the tally with 20.3 per cent share, vivo (15.6 per cent), Oppo (10.7 per cent) and realme (10.6 per cent). A total of 36.9 million smartphone units were shipped in the fourth quarter of 2019, registering 5.5 per cent year-on-year growth, but a 20.8 per cent sequential decline. In the December quarter, Xiaomi registered a 15.9 per cent y-o-y growth and had 29 per cent share, followed by vivo (18.8 per cent), Samsung (15.5 per cent), Oppo (13 per cent) and realme (12.8 per cent). "This is an extremely exhilarating moment for us at Xiaomi India, as we become the leader in the overall mobile phone market across smartphones and feature phones. It has helped us come closer to our mission of providing innovation for all, and Q4 witnessed several people adopting the smartphone," Xiaomi Vice-President and India Managing Director Manu Jain said. He added that the company is committed to gaining users' sustained trust and appreciation through constant innovation across products, business models and infrastructure. "IDC expects India's smartphone market to see modest single-digit growth in 2020 as well," IDC India Research Director (Client Devices and IPDS) Navkendar Singh said. He added that as organic growth becomes challenging with increasing replacement cycles, it is imperative for the smartphone ecosystem to really put its energy and focus on enabling migration of the massive feature phone user base in India. This needs to be done in addition to continuing to offer compelling propositions at the mid-premium segment to boost faster upgrades, he said. "During the year, we will see launches with newer concepts like under-display cameras, gaming-centric features, and higher refresh rate screens clubbed with efforts by the brands to open new revenue areas like OS monetisation and financing services etc," he added. IDC said the year 2019 also witnessed longer inventory cycles in the offline channel as online exclusive models held back offline sales, resulting in a meagre 1.6 per cent annual growth in the offline channel. "The online growth momentum continued through the year with a record share of 41.7 per cent in 2019, growing by 18.4 per cent y-o-y annually due to deep discounts, cashback offers, buyback/exchange schemes, and complete protection offers clubbed with attractive financing schemes like no-cost EMIs across major model line-ups and brands," IDC India Associate Research Manager (Client Devices) Upasana Joshi said. In 2019, the average selling prices (ASPs) of smartphones rose 2.8 per cent y-o-y to USD 163 (about Rs 11,600). The sub-USD 200 segment still accounted for 79 per cent of the market. The mid-range segment of USD 200-500 accounted for the strongest annual growth of 55.2 per cent and accounted for 19.3 per cent of the overall smartphone market. The mid-premium (USD 300-500) segment was led by vivo with 28 per cent share, followed by OnePlus at 20.2 per cent. In the premium (USD 500 and above) segment, Apple surpassed Samsung for the leadership position with a share of 47.4 per cent in 2019, driven by aggressive price drops on previous generation models, offers, strong e-tailer sales momentum, and a lower iPhone 11 launch price compared to the iPhone XR, IDC said. The feature phone segment continued to decline y-o-y by 21.1 per cent with shipments of 30.1 million units in the fourth quarter. However, the Diwali offer (Rs 699) launched by Reliance Jio in the festive month of October helped clear off existing channel inventories of 4G-enabled Jio Phones, IDC said. SR HRS

India's smartphone market up 8 pc in 2019 with shipment of 152.5 mn units: IDC

<keyword id="3658" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="India">India</keyword> is consistently being bandied as the next major growth market for all smartphone companies, but there is one company that’s really struggling to crack India. The company in question is the most valuable one in the world -- <keyword id="6354427" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="apple">Apple</keyword>. According to CounterPoint’s latest report, Apple’s market share has dropped to an all-time low in India, with its share of the smartphone market dropping to below 2%. The problem is a combination of the nature of the Indian smartphone consumer, Indian laws and Apple’s stubbornness. This quarter Xiaomi and Samsung have emerged as the defacto leaders with their combined market share in India pushing 30%. Samsung managed to regain its lead in India with a share of 29%, up from 24% in the previous quarter, as per a report by Canalys. Xiaomi also grew to 28% market share in the country. While Tim Cook has reiterated often that India is a key market for the Cupertino-based giant, Apple has hit a new low in India, which is clearly the most important smartphone market outside of China. Pricing doesn’t allow Apple to compete for market share in India The problem for the company is that India is primarily a sub Rs 15,000 market, while the cheapest <keyword id="6354606" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="iPhone">iPhone</keyword> – the iPhone SE costs Rs 26,000, and runs three-year-old hardware. Apple doesn’t make cheap products because it doesn’t want to be perceived as a mass market smartphone brand. The Indian market is wildly different from the one in the United States, Europe and even China, which is Apple’s favourite market off-late. These markets are dominated by the operators and their contracts, where users can get the latest and greatest iPhone for about the same Rs 15,000 amount, put in as down payment. The space for phones that cost more than Rs 30,000 is just 4% of the Indian smartphone market. And that is commanded by OnePlus, followed by Samsung. Even if Apple were to get 100% market share in the premium space, it would still only command 4% of the market. Even when competing on price, older iPhones like the 6S and 7 lose out to newer phones from companies like OnePlus on both marketing and also technical capability. Indians tend to buy phones on the basis of specifications and even some of the newer models lose out to brands like OnePlus in the premium segment as the iPhone 6S and 7 models are perceived to be inferior. Hardware disadvantage Apple’s hardware disadvantage swells up when one talks about the cheapest iPhone models in this country. Apple simply doesn’t have a product in that price bracket, the sub-Rs 20,000 zone, and that’s the price point where the market for new smartphones is exploding. While the cheapest iPhone, the SE, costs Rs 26,000, it’s not the best selling iPhone here. It is the iPhone 6, which first popped up in 2014...and here we are in 2018. There are two reasons for this -- first, the iPhone 6 has a bigger screen (4.7-inch) which is more to the liking of Indian users; and second, design-wise, it’s not too dissimilar from the iPhone 8 which came out at the fag end of 2017. With the entry of Reliance Jio in India in late 2016, Indians have developed a voracious appetite for consuming video on the go. The iPhone SE, which uses the design of the iPhone 5 and 5S, has a rather small 4-inch screen. Newer phones like the Redmi Note 5 have much larger 5.99-inch screens. That’s a difference of 2-inches and considering mobile video, it's a huge one. The iPhone SE and iPhone 6, which are the two cheapest iPhones in India also have dated cameras. Nowadays, phones like the Honor 9 Lite and Redmi Note 5 Pro also offer dual cameras with an iPhone X-like bokeh mode -- something these older, cheaper iPhones can’t hope to match. Network conditions in India are often quite poor, connectivity wise, which results in smartphones consuming more battery. Apple’s iPhones have never been known for battery life. The most affordable iPhone in India (iPhone SE) has a meagre 1,624mAh battery, while phones half its price are pushing battery packs that are more than double the size. iPhones also don’t offer hardware features that are popular in emerging markets like ours. For instance, there is no support for dual SIM cards, and there is no support for expandable memory. With newer models like the iPhone 7, iPhone 8 and iPhone X, there isn’t even a headphone jack -- something competitors like Samsung and OnePlus are providing to customers in the premium segment. Apple hasn’t been able to push its design as a premium advantage either, as Chinese smartphone manufacturers have aped iPhone-like designs on almost all their phones. In fact, the design of the iPhone X has been democratised by Chinese smartphone makers. For instance, the iPhone X-style notch display can be found even on new phones like the Honor 9N that starts at just Rs 13,999 while offering dual cameras on not only the back but also for selfies, and also providing a battery that’s almost twice as big as the iPhone SE. Even their software is designed in a way that Android looks more like iOS. Android modifications from vendors like <keyword id="6357456" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="huawei">Huawei</keyword>, Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo follow the same basic iOS-like design language. Software disadvantage It’s bad enough that many Android smartphone makers have designed their software to mimic the look and feel of iOS, but Apple’s problems are compounded by the fact that its own services perform poorly in India or are non-existent. Apple Maps is perhaps the biggest no-show. It doesn’t do turn-by-turn navigation in India and its mapping coverage is abysmal in the country. It is a matter of fact that Apple Maps can’t be used in India as a reliable tool for commuting. Apple Pay isn’t available in India at a time where digital payments are taking off in the country. Paytm and Google’s Tez payments systems are taking off in India massively. Samsung launched Samsung Pay in India last year. Apple Pay is dependent on NFC, while Samsung Pay uses a combination of NFC and magnetic secure transaction (MST), which mimics the magnetic signal a credit or debit card makes to a POS machine. Siri, on most days doesn’t understand the Indian accent as well as the Google Assistant, and nor can it do much. Heck, <keyword id="10387" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Microsoft">Microsoft</keyword>’s Cortana and Amazon’s Alexa do a better job and this is despite the fact that Apple was the first company to deploy a virtual assistant. While Apple’s services hobble on its own trophy -- the iPhone -- its competitors -- Google, Amazon and Microsoft have their services performing better on iOS. For mapping, most people use Google Maps. For search, Google Search becomes the default, and for productivity, Microsoft’s Office crushes Apple’s iWork apps. Rarely, you’re using Apple software on the iPhone in India. Even Apple Music, which is one of the rare examples of an Apple service doing well in the country, has been flanked by local competition like Ganna.com, Jio music, Wynk and Saavn. All of whom have a free tier. On older iPhones, Apple’s iOS updates have also crippled the experience of the iPhone. A couple of years ago, there used to be a strong argument in favour of the iPhone as it would perform well for over two years. Apple’s recent updates have made older iPhones inferior in comparison to newer Android phones that cost the same. Apple is addressing this issue in this year's iOS 12 update, which makes huge performance improvements to older iPhones, but it could be too little too late. The app store also doesn't make life easy for users as it demands a credit card for a user to even download free apps. That's not the case on the Google Play store. Apple has been late in localising services for India The larger issue here is that Apple isn’t localising its services for India in the way it has attempted to for China. This is indicative of the fact that Apple hasn’t taken the time or put enough resources behind localising its services for this country. Samsung and Huawei have R&amp;D centres in India customising services for the market. Xiaomi also prioritises and customises products for India. Apple opened an App Accelerator in Bangalore and a facility for Apple Maps in Hyderabad only in 2016. Google has had software and services being developed out of India since the mid-2000s, while Microsoft has been in India since the early 90’s. This has, in turn, inhibited Apple’s ability to quickly pivot. Its biggest competitor, Google, on a platform level, makes products for India. Google CEO Sundar Pichai said last year, “India shapes how we build products. If something works in India it will work globally.” And this philosophy can be seen in the customisations that Google has made to core services like Android, Maps, YouTube, Search and even payments. Its next billion division has made “Go” editions of Android, YouTube, Search and Maps, which are designed to work better on low power phones and poorer network conditions. They have even invested in KaiOS that powers feature phones like the Jio Phone creating its own versions of YouTube, Google Search and Assistant in India. For Apple to replicate its China success in India, it has to do a lot more than what it did in China. Even in China, Apple’s momentum has slowed so it has a steep slope to climb there as well. In China, Google and Amazon are almost non-existent. In India, they are big players. Apple isn’t able to compete with Google with regards to services. Most people use Google services which are part of all Android phones and one doesn’t need to buy a comparatively expensive iPhone to enjoy them. Apple and the Indian government: Frenemies? Apple hasn’t seen eye to eye with the Indian government for long. Apple expected concessions for manufacturing in India. It never made headway with that. While it lobbied for tax concessions -- brands like Xiaomi, Oppo and Huawei all got on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ programme which grants locally assembled phones some tax concessions. Only recently, Apple has started manufacturing both the iPhone SE and iPhone 6S in India. There are some reports that Apple has locked in a deal with one of its ODM vendors to manufacture even the iPhone X, but that’s not happening right now. The price variance between the iPhone X and the new Samsung Galaxy S9+ is quite startling. The iPhone X tops out at a whopping Rs 1,07,999 while the latest Galaxy S9+ tops out at Rs 69,000 for its top-end model in India. That’s almost a gap of Rs 40,000 which ironically is the cost of the 128GB model of the OnePlus 6 which is currently the best selling smartphone in the premium segment in this country. In the US, the iPhone X costs $1,149 which is around Rs 79,000 and the Galaxy S9+ costs $792 (around Rs 55,000). This points towards the fact that India is the most expensive place to purchase an iPhone and also the fact that Samsung’s phones have a huge price advantage in India that they don’t enjoy even in the US. And a lot of this is due to the fact that the S9+ is assembled in Samsung’s factory in Greater Noida (a satellite town outside New Delhi) which also happens to be the largest smartphone manufacturing plant in the world. The iPhone is further hobbled by the fact that it has an international warranty and India has a bubbling <keyword id="395545" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="grey-market">grey market</keyword>. It’s totally possible for someone to buy an imported iPhone for much lesser than the official price in India and still enjoy global warranty on the product. For years, Apple has been hoping to get permissions to set up its iconic Apple Stores in India. Indian law stipulates that single brand retail can only happen when products use 30% raw materials that are locally sourced -- that’s a hard problem to solve for Apple. That’s led to it selling its phones via resellers who often have discounted products to move inventory, thereby diluting Apple’s premium identity. In order to move more affordable iPhones, the Indian government has also rejected Apple’s plan for selling refurbished iPhones in India. More recently, Apple has been deadlocked in a stalemate with Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in India over the installation of its spam reporting app on the iPhone. The telecom regulator has been reported to be taking extreme steps which could result in the iPhone being blocked from telecom networks in India if Apple doesn’t play ball, but that seems to be changing. An update in iOS 12 could possibly pave the way for an extension in the iMessage app for the TRAI to push out its spam reporting feature. The big takeaway is that Apple’s brand positioning makes its life hard enough in a market where feature phone sales are still growing, however, it hasn’t helped its own cause by not investing in India in a timely manner and also not adopting and partaking quickly enough in initiatives of the Indian government which has put it at a disadvantage with regards to lobbying.

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