Apple will resume manufacturing of the iPhone 4 specifically for sale in India, Indonesia, and Brazil, according to sources cited by India’s Economic Times.This is the first time for Apple to restart production of a discontinued iPhone.
The Times estimates an additional 50,000 to 60,000 iPhone 4 units were made by Taiwan-owned Foxconn to be sold this quarter for about Rs 20,000 ($320) each in India. The devices reappeared on store shelves in India within the past 10 days and show a December 2013 manufacturing date.
Apple’s decision to reinstate the iPhone 4 seems to coincide with its October move to slow down production of the iPhone 5C, further highlighting the not-quite-cheap-enough model’s inability to make an impression worldwide.
The iPhone 4 was phased out of all markets last year before the 5S and 5C were released. Apple holds two percent of smartphone market share in India, and growth slowed in the country last year after the latest generation hit shelves. Overall, Apple sold about 250,000 iPhones (all models) last quarter there.
Samsung sits at the top with 32 percent market share, but even it is slowly losing ground to local brands like Micromax, which holds 21 percent.
As for Indonesia, the iPhone 5S and 5C just officially launched there last month, but fans were shocked to find out the phones cost $150 and $100 more than in neighboring Malaysia, respectively. For unlocked versions, that’s a whopping $860 for the cheapest 5S and $713 for the 5C. Minimum wage in Indonesia is less than $200 per month.
Source: The Economic Times
