In a strategic move, Apple to discontinue its iPhone 4s and 5c models in India

Apple has finally culled the sales of its ageing iPhone 4s and iPhone 5c models in India. The move comes as a strategic one where experts claim that Apple has done so, to improve its Average Selling Price (ASP) which has been falling due to the iPhone 4s in the sub Rs 20,000 segment. With the iPhone 4s and iPhone 5c out of the way, Apple will receive a pretty good boost with its ASP, but at the same time industry experts state that this would give its competitors in other segments an edge. The iPhone 4s was retailing for Rs 12,000, while the iPhone 5c retails for Rs 20,000. And while the rest of the world has moved ahead, Apple in a move that surprised many, reintroduced the iPhone 4s in India. Clearly, this was an effort to gain sales and acquire new customers under its fold and the strategy proved to be successful, with many users falling prey to the same  buying a cheaper iPhone 4s at a high price with dated hardware inside. The Economic Times reports that Apple’s ASP in India increased sequentially during the last quarter of 2015 due to the new iPhone 6s series, but it declined 20 per cent compared to that a year ago. However, the new boost to Apple’s ASP will allow other players like Samsung and other Chinese brands to take up a bigger share of the Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000 segment, which also happens to be the fastest growing smartphone segment in the country. Oddly, Apple is all set to introduce another mid-range offering on 15 March this year. The device dubbed as the iPhone 5se has leaked out in numerous leaks and rumours and will pack in features and a design that is similar to the iPhone 6, but with the smaller form factor of the iPhone 5 sporting a 4-inch display. Reintroducing the smaller smartphone form factor will indeed help Apple gain more ground in the mid-range, which currently consists of just the iPhone 5s.