Almost every post or news item about the iPhone India launch follows the same (annoying) pattern: someone will write something about the iPhone and there will be at least 10 comments trashing it. 9 of the comments will be about stuff like how its ‘an overpriced piece of crap’ because you can’t forward an SMS, cannot record video etc. There will be one meek attempt by a brave Apple fan defending the phone (like this one?). In one of those typical free-for-all Rediff forums one guy said, ‘I read in a telugu paper that you can’t send SMS on the iPhone!’. And there are others for whom this is a buzz-phrase to be uttered immediately after the word iPhone. Some others have trashed the touchpad keyboard, the fingerprints etc.
It is clear that the iPhone has failed to generate any significant buzz or sales in India – exactly the opposite of its US launch. I am sure there are many with a ‘I told you so’ smile – the drift being that Apple has vastly underestimated the Indian consumer and over priced itself. Some marketing experts see a clever strategy at work where Apple is “testing the waters” and getting prospective customers acquainted with its device before a full-scale marketing assault.
Herewith some unsolicited views on things that could have been handled better prior to the iPhone India launch.
- there was little or no concerted effort to educate the average Indian consumer about the iPhone, prior to launch. I think they relied too much on the almost year-old internet buzz. As a result, it was a freewheeling discussion about the iPhone without any ‘control’. For example, no effort was made to emphasize to the consumer that this is an iPod, plus internet device, plus phone. That point has not been drilled in at all. As a result, people view it as just another phone and comparing 2MP camera versus 5MP camera etc.
- Apple does not have a halo around its name in India. The number of Apple fanboys is a handful and to expect consumers to flock the stores like they did in the US, was a mistake. The brands that are idolized in India are Nokia and Microsoft – almost occupying the same cult status that Apple enjoys. So the virtual absence of marketing prior to launch was detrimental to the iPhone launch.
- the Indian consumer is value conscious and more mobile savvy than the average US consumer. Yet the pricing structure was not explained in easy, consumer terms. All that was left in the consumer’s mind was the $200 pricing of the US market – not the hidden cost of bundled tariff plans. This was the expected price and the revelation of the price tag, coupled with the ‘iPhone lacks basic features’ refrain of blog posts, strengthened the notion that it was overpriced hype.
It seems as if there was no concerted effort to address any of the issues during the pre-launch phase. Why this apparent lack of marketing? Why was sound advice from experts not heeded? Maybe, India is not an important market for Apple, despite our growing numbers in the telecom market. Or like the Wharton article said, maybe they are just testing the waters in India.
Yes, the iPhone has drawbacks -some even the basic phones have. Let’s look at some of the stuff it can do, vastly superior to other such devices:
MMS: there is much hue and cry over its lack of MMS facility. The reason: it makes emailing a photo, a snap (bad pun). All you need to do is tap the ‘forward’ icon and the pic is nicely formatted and ready for mail. And the last time I checked, email if free and MMS costs money. No wonder the iPhone is the most popular camera phone (despite having only a 2MP camera) used to upload pics on Flickr.
App Store: can any smart phone do this as well as the iPhone/iPod Touch? Not a chance. The utilities in the App Store make almost anything possible – from sending blog posts to listening to thousands of radio stations. And they do it with finesse.
Internet: delivered like no smart phone can. And please stop whining about Safari not supporting flash. I can live with that, millions of have done and if it needs to be fixed its a matter of an update. And the iPhone delivers the YouTube almost flawlessly. Check out some of the App Store pictures to know what I mean. Whether it is Stocks or Games, the iPhone raises the experience to a level unmatched by other phones.
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In contrast, the internet experience of other phones is pedestrian. No, I have not used the HTC Diamonds of the world (and I am sure the 36-k N96 will be a great multimedia device) but the average Indian mobile phone user rarely goes beyond calls, SMS & email on the phone because everything else is a bit cumbersome.
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Sure, the iPhone is not for those who hate the iTunes way of managing music and transferring photos. But despite the the flak around the features, it is an awesome phone, way ahead of the so-called competition. It’s a pity that there was no marketing around the iPhone launch in India to address these issues in a concerted manner.
