The pre-orders for iPhone 6s and 6s Plus have fallen short of expectations and only 10-15% pre-bookings have been made as compared to last year for the previous models.
One of the main reasons of few pre-orders is that people are waiting for lower prices online once they are launched.
Apple, earlier this year, had allowed its distributors to sell iPhones at a lower price to the ecommerce channel. This had lead to surge in sales.
So, buyers are being cautious as they believe the entry model costs Rs 8,500-9,500 more than last year's launch price.
Moreover, as festive season sale in ongoing at various online marketplaces, buyers want to wait until the launch.
Apple recently reported record sales for the latest iPhones with more than 13 million units sold three days after the initial launch.
Reportedly, retail chains like Big C and Lot Mobile in the south have even offered 'one-month price protection'. This means that, in the event of prices dropping in a month, bookers will be paid the difference.
"We reached out to 10,000 customers but have managed to pre-book just 1,300 models amounting to Rs 6 crore, which is a slight jump over last year. Expectation of online discount has dampened business," said Lot Mobiles Executive Director K Krishna Pawan.
The iPhone 6s and 6s Plus will be launched at midnight on October 16 in India. The company has priced the 6s at Rs 62,000 (16GB),Rs 72,000 (64GB) and Rs 82,000 (128GB) while the larger-screen 6s Plus will cost Rs 72,000 (16GB),Rs 82,000 (64GB) and Rs 92,000 (128GB).
Experts point out that a lot of consumers will also buy last year's iPhone models, which are now expected to get a price cut, and will be much lower than the current models.
Counterpoint revealed that Apple sold 1.7 million iPhones in India between October 2014 and September 2015, the company's financial year, compared with 1.1 million units in the year-earlier period.
(Image: Reuters)