Apple pulls iPhone 4 from sale in India after just four months

Back in February, Apple made the odd-looking decision to resurrect the iPhone 4 in India alone, in order to bring a cheaper offering to the country. Now the Times of India reports that Cupertino has decided enough is enough and pulled the handset from sale on the sub-continent after four months. More confounding still, the …

[Anonymous Coward]

reason Apple scoops so much of the industry's profit

a) grab all the free, open source software you can get your hands on, as long as it isn't encumbered by a nasty GPL license, and sell it for a massive premium

b) manufacture everything in the world's lowest cost labor markets while selling it all at a massive premium in the world's richest countries

c) get buy-in from the top execs in Hollywood so that your kit is featured in every big movie, driving the hipsters into wild fits of salivating consumer lust

d) invoice all sales as transactions from an Irish subsidiary with zero employees

e) pay a zero corporate tax rate

f) use green energy for cloud storage which is 2% of your corporate energy needs, while using the most toxic sources of energy for the 98% energy needs of manufacturing. Applaud yourself as a progressive corporation to hipster nation to increase sales even more

That's how it's done

[Sean O'Connor 1]

Re: reason Apple scoops so much of the industry's profit

> reason Apple scoops so much of the industry's profit

....or maybe it's because they make phones that people like?

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: reason Apple scoops so much of the industry's profit

Maybe its also because some people are just blind about anything with a half-eaten fruit logo at the back and will therefore buy anything (inlcuding polished turd) at whatever price points they deem fit to charge (sorry gouge) !

[Steve78]

Re: reason Apple scoops so much of the industry's profit

The reason is because they are a fantastically run business that sells a lot of stuff.

Sales = Profit

[NBCanuck]

Re: reason Apple scoops so much of the industry's profit

"The reason is because they are a fantastically run business that sells a lot of stuff.

Sales = Profit"

Not that simple. There are a lot of companies that have more sales but make less profit.

Margins = Profit.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: reason Apple scoops so much of the industry's profit

QQ - so you don't like Apple - we get it - but for balance Samsung just take Google's Android and bolt on a bit of bloatware and make it worse, manufacture in just the same way (as pretty much everyone does), equally gets it's products features in selfies with Obama etc., almost certainly does not pay any more tax than it needs to and does not even try to be as green as Apple.

In terms of 'green' at least Apple stuff seems to last longer - most Android users seem to replace their phones every 18-24 months (and the old one is near useless) whereas the Apple stuff is supported for longer and tends to get used or passed on an used for years.

Perhaps Apple make the products many people want and provide great service. Perhaps at least those people in low cost countries have jobs that may be better / pay more than working the fields or are you saying they would be better off without Apple's business?

[Lionel Baden]

Re: reason Apple scoops so much of the industry's profit

@AC

i would say the reason for the fast upgrade cycle is that android is progressing and still being developed.

Unfortunately the same cannot be same of the iPhone.

I never really understood why people upgraded their iPhones, it seemed like the same device just less scuff marks.

Yes im a android user.

[knarf]

Re: reason Apple scoops so much of the industry's profit

"Apple stuff is supported for longer and tends to get used or passed on an used for years."

Eh....No this is complete rubbish. Apple do selective upgrades so your older iPads / Macs can't install any of the software / apps in their store. The older versions of which will work on this kits is not available on their app store.

[Lallabalalla]

Re: reason Apple scoops so much of the industry's profit

No it's you talking complete rubbish. My 2nd gen iPod and 4yr old iphone4 are still running like new. I don't need iOS7 apps because I have 6, or 5 and the legacy apps are fine on the legacy system.

Next you'll be moaning that your windows8 surface won't read your floppy disks. Or not.

[bygjohn]

Re: reason Apple scoops so much of the industry's profit

Actually it's you who is spouting complete rubbish. Quite a while ago Apple altered the app store so that older devices could download the latest version of an app that will work on that device/OS.

[ukgnome]

@ Andy Prough

A) same as everyone.

B) same as everyone.

C) I usually spot sony, and now windows and their stupid surface devices, hardly ever apple.

D) same as everyone

E) That's not actually true, but just like everyone they pay very little.

F) Use green and conflict free materials, leading the way with investment and hopefully turning around the manufacturing companies to a better more sustainable way.

Sorry, have I left anything out?

[Steve Davies 3]

Re: reason Apple scoops so much of the industry's profit

This

b) manufacture everything in the world's lowest cost labor markets while selling it all at a massive premium in the world's richest countries

Is clearly untrue.

Apple is spending millions of $$$ creating Sapphire Glass in the USA in the joint venture that is well covered here.

Apple builds the MacPro in the USA.

Perhaps you might like to think again, unless the USA can be classified as one of the lowest cost labor markets in the world.

Then there is this

c) get buy-in from the top execs in Hollywood so that your kit is featured in every big movie, driving the hipsters into wild fits of salivating consumer lust

Citation please. I am sure the most rabid Apple haters here would love to salivate over videos of fanbois doing this.

Are you going to patent your company hating blinkers with the USPTO. I am sure it will get approved in record time.

[Piro]

Re: reason Apple scoops so much of the industry's profit

Mission Complete!

[Lallabalalla]

Re: reason Apple scoops so much of the industry's profit

...so, Apple are better at capitalist business practices than anyone else. We knew that, it's patently obvious. What's your point - you hate capitalism? Go live in Cuba. Because the alternatives are *such* a success.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: reason Apple scoops so much of the industry's profit

Generating interest, then creating an artificial lack of stock to simulate demand and popularity is how Apple traditionally operates. "We have none on the shelves because we're so popular, squeeeeee....." We've seen it again and again with every iteration of iProduct.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: reason Apple scoops so much of the industry's profit

No this is complete rubbish. Apple do selective upgrades

no, what you said is complete rubbish.

they may do selective upgrades, but you don't HAVE to upgrade to everything. my father gets all my old kit, he's still using a powerbook that's over 10 years old!

[Anonymous Coward]

Or Maybe......

It did not do so well at the price points (India being a price sensitive market) and saw through the Apple rip off plans?

[Anonymous Coward]

I like turtles, but I don't like Apple. But I do like apples, just not Apple.

I've got nothing against Apple fanbois though, some of my best friends use an iDevice.

But I don't like Apple.

I did like Apple, once upon a time. I had all the iKit, but then I didn't like Apple any more (because they suck, but I won't go into that now), and I still don't like Apple.

Each to their own.

But I don't like Apple.

[Robert E A Harvey]

Inventory

Would it be too cynical to suggest that this deal has come to an end because whatever unexpected surplus inentory Apple found in the cupboard has now been shifted, and they still have a load of C5s to unload next?

[Chris 3]

Re: Inventory

Actually, I think you've hit upon the most plausible reason, there.

[Arctic fox]

Re: Inventory Hole in one..........

............I strongly suspect. Cupertino are very sensitive about image issues - if the sales response was well below their expectations in their key constituency, the Indian middle classes who can certainly afford Western prices then they may very well have decided to bail while they could get out without it being humiliating.

[Mr Shouty]

Re: Inventory

Given their previous history I'd have half-expected them to bury their unsold iDevices in the desert, a la Atari.

[knarf]

Manufacturing Space

Why make older cheaper 4's when you can make some very expensive 6's in the pre-launch ramp

[Alan Denman]

..Apple recycling ? ...

Maybe they were refurbished but too few are nowvisitng those 'give me a freebie' Apple recycling points.

I'm reserving judgement on IOS 7 running very very badly on the iPhone 4.