Apple ships record 8 lakh units to India in Q3

New Delhi: Apple, which launched its online store in India last month, had a strong run in the third quarter, shipping nearly 8 lakh units in the country and registering double-digit growth, a news report said on Thursday.

"Apple is finally paying attention to India," said Canalys Research Director Rushabh Doshi.

The company opened a direct online store, giving it several new angles in its go-to-market strategy, such as utilising device trade-ins to provide purchase incentives, or bundling AirPods with iPhones to make them more appealing.

The online store marked the first time that Apple offered its full line-up of products directly to the region's customers, who previously had to buy items through Amazon India, Flipkart, or other authorised sellers.

Apple's contract manufacturers had slowly been moving more production to India to reduce dependence on China.

"However, its new iPhone 12 family will be a tough sell in India this year, as network operators do not yet have the infrastructure for mass market 5G deployment, erasing a key feature of the devices," Doshi said.