How iOS 10.3 beta shows Apple’s increasing India focus

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The last few quarters have made it quite clear that Apple needs to focus on India as its sales are slowing down in China and it has hit a plateau of sorts with the iPhone sales in developed markets like the US. In the last year or so, Apple has tried to court India which is poised to be the second largest smartphone market in the world after China. Its latest iOS 10.3 beta is the biggest tell-tale sign that the company realises this problem and it is moving towards fixing it.

One of the new features uncovered in the incoming update is the presence of cricket scores which are sourced from the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the India Premier League (IPL). India is a cricket crazy country and its team is one of the best in the world. BCCI , India’s governing body for cricket hosts the most lucrative T20 cricket league, which of course is the IPL .

The fact that now Apple users will able to summon Siri and get access to live cricket scores underlines that Apple is focussing on India. This is the first instance of Apple customising something on iOS for the Indian market. Earlier, Apple had added the SOS function in an iOS update, but that could be attributed to it being mandatory for phones sold in India.

Having live cricket scores on the iPhone isn’t something that mandatory. However, Apple is doing it.

With this Apple is following Google’s path which has recently started building products with India in mind and scaling them across the globe. “When you build for India, you build for the world,” said Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai recently on a trip to India.

Google, of course, has been providing live cricket scores in India for sometime and it has a strong marketing campaign on as well in India highlighting that its search app can deliver live cricket score’s to a users fingertips.

Other examples of India focus

Apple has been late to the party but now we can expect more of the same for India. It has now a facility in Hyderabad which focusses on the development of Apple Maps in India. It is hiring 4,000 map devs for the facility. One can expect a better Apple Maps experience in the coming months.

Similarly, it has an app development accelerator in Bangalore which may promote more Indian developed to makes apps for iOS, propelling innovation on the App store.

Apple has been customising Apple Music for India too. For India, it has a more affordable cost structure compared to other markets and it has tied up with many Indian artists for the same. This year at the Apple Music festival it collaborated with Sulaiman who has become an evangelist of the service. Similarly, it has been working with Bollywood actress Neha Dhupia for some playlists on the service which are around fitness.

For Apple TV, the Cupertino based company has tied up with local providers like HotStar and Eros Now too.

Challenges ahead

Of course, there are challenges for Apple in India. It still hasn’t been able to launch its iconic Apple stores which serve as temples for all things Apple. They are the physical presence of the brand and in India because single brand retail outlets demand 30 percent local sourcing Apple has been unable to launch these stores.

Even for manufacturing it isn’t getting concessions from the government which doesn’t want to be viewed as being favourable towards Apple.

Last year, even a plan to sell refurbished smartphones in India was squashed by the government which deemed these devices could increase e-waste in the country. If Apple was allowed to sell these refurbished iPhones, the average selling price of the iPhone would’ve come down in India.