Early indications show Apple’s iPhone 6s and 6s Plus are not selling as well as its predecessors in India. Retailers in key cities such as New Delhi, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Chennai are reporting lukewarm response for the new iPhones compared to last year.
“I was manning the iPhone counter here last year. This year, it is very low. Today, sales were 10%-20% of last year,” a leading retailer, who asked not to be identified, said.
Large retail chains are reporting robust supplies of the new devices are still crowding their warehouses. This is in stark comparison to last year when all units were sold by midday.
The unidentified retailer added that only die-hard Apple fans are buying. “Apple was cautious this year to ensure there is no stock out this year. The lower demand was also the reason why inventory has piled up.”
Other leading Apple shops are reporting similar results. A shop in Kolkata said it sold just 120 units compared to last year’s 200, while another reported sales were down by 50%, according to The Economic Times of India.
Despite this, Apple CEO Tim Cook took to Twitter to thank India for the support of the latest iPhone. “Thanks to all our customers in India who queued at midnight for the new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus!” Cook said early Friday on Twitter.
The India sales are part of a greater trend globally. Earlier this month, research firm Pacific Crest Securities released a study that predicted sales of the iPhone 6s would be “disappointing.”
The firm expects sales to reach only 67 million units through the fourth quarter of 2015, which is well below many analyst expectations of 76 million units.
Apple refutes the claim, suggesting sales have been good. The device giant said it saw record sales after the Sept. 25 launch of the latest iPhone, selling 13 million units in the first three days. But since then, Pacific Crest said, component orders from suppliers have dropped causing concern for future sales.
In spite of this, Pacific Crest expects gross margins for the newest iPhone to remain stable. Indian retailers also expect sales will pick up as the country enters its Diwali shopping period.
Last year, Apple sold 74.4 million units of the iPhone 6, shattering previous records.
