NEW DELHI– Apple’s latest iPhone 17 series is seeing brisk demand in India, with pre-orders outpacing last year’s launch and signaling the company’s growing foothold in one of its fastest-expanding markets.
Pre-orders for the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro opened September 12 and have drawn strong interest across Apple’s online store and its physical outlets in Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, and Bengaluru. Industry sources said the new models have generated significant consumer buzz, particularly the iPhone 17 Air, which features a titanium design marketed as lightweight, sleek, and durable.
The momentum underscores Apple’s dual strategy in India: cultivating a larger consumer base while deepening its role as a manufacturing hub. The company has steadily expanded its local retail network, adding new stores in Bengaluru and Pune earlier this month to coincide with the iPhone 17 launch.
Apple entered India’s retail landscape in April 2023 with its flagship store in Mumbai’s Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC), followed soon after by Apple Saket in Delhi. Together, those two stores generated roughly Rs 800 crore in revenue during their first year—placing them among Apple’s best-performing outlets worldwide. Notably, nearly 60 percent of sales came from the smaller Saket store, a signal of robust consumer appetite.
The iPhone 17 lineup starts at Rs 82,900 for the base 256GB model. The iPhone 17 Air is priced at Rs 1,19,900, while the iPhone 17 Pro begins at Rs 1,34,900. The top-tier iPhone 17 Pro Max (256GB) is listed at Rs 1,49,900.
This year’s launch marks Apple’s first upward adjustment in entry-level pricing since the iPhone 12 series in 2020. However, the higher price comes with more storage: the base iPhone 17 offers 256GB, compared to 128GB on the iPhone 16. On a storage-adjusted basis, the iPhone 17 is Rs 7,000 less expensive than the 256GB variant of its predecessor at launch.
Apple continues to balance its reliance on premium resellers and e-commerce partners such as Flipkart and Amazon with a direct retail push. Analysts say the strong iPhone 17 pre-order performance reflects both the company’s broader “Made in India” manufacturing strategy and the willingness of Indian consumers to embrace higher-priced devices. (Source: IANS)
