Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: In a boost to the ‘Make in India’ initiative, the iPhone 17 Air and 17 models are gaining stronger traction than last year’s Plus and 16 series devices in India, according to vendors and industry analysts, as the new 17 series fly off the shelves in the country.
Tech giant is set to achieve its highest festive-sales count in India, with analysts forecasting a 28 per cent year-on-year sales increase in 2025 owing to the success of the iPhone 17 series. Apple saw its annual sales hit a record of nearly $9 billion last fiscal, as disposable incomes rise amid strong consumer demand.
Analysts said that the first week of sales for the iPhone 17 series was 19 per cent higher than the iPhone 16 series. According to Tarun Pathak, Research Director at Counterpoint Research, Apple is effectively capitalising on the premiumisation trend in India. “The new iPhone 17 Air, despite a higher price, is gaining stronger traction than last year’s Plus model,” Pathak said.
Apple is on track to cross 4.5 million shipments this festive quarter with the new iPhone Air poised to generate fresh traction. Prabhu Ram, VP, Industry Research Group (IRG), CMR said in a market dominated majorly by value for money phones, there is a good healthy growth for premium smartphones driven by rising disposable incomes among a growing middle class. “Apple’s growth momentum is driven by its strong brand salience, increased manufacturing and retail focus in the market,” he mentioned. While iPhone 17 (256 GB) starts at Rs 82,900, iPhone Air (256 GB) begins from Rs 119,900; iPhone 17 Pro (256 GB) starts from Rs 134,900 and iPhone 17 Pro Max (256 GB) from Rs 149,900.
