Svati Maddur, a 29-year-old corporate communications manager, who has been using the products since 2010, has always liked Apple products for their ease of use. “Back when I started using the iPhone, it was simple and unique, the design, the processes, all of them were attractive. It didn’t have any of the unnecessary flairs that the other phones had,” she told us over email. However, she does feel that the new iPhones are definitely on the more expensive side. “It is way overpriced. Soon it’s going to be as expensive as my MacBook,” says Maddur. 25-year-old lawyer Avineet Singh who owns an iPhone and an iPad is more direct. “They have gone Bonkers!!” says Singh. “Rs1.5 lakh for the XS Max. They are definitely going to see a slump in sales this year,” says the lawyer who loves the camera on the iPhone and calls the battery a “winner” on the iPad. Abhinay Khoparzi, a 34-year-old video producer and creative technologist has been using Apple products for the last 11 years now, starting with Macs when Apple switched to Intel processors. “The iPhone and iPad have been my most used productivity/content creation tools even though I have had a minimum of two operational computers around me at all times,” he says. He agrees that the price of the new devices is steep, but feels it is “not completely unreasonable for the amount of tech loaded into these devices.” “The upgrades on Apple Watch Series 4 make them the perfect gift for my parents. The fall detection and ECG features seem like essential tools to keep a tab on the health stats for anyone over the age of 50,” says Khoparzi. Singh is another one who is fascinated by the new Apple Watch. “Packing ECG in such a pint-sized watch is amazing and revolutionary for healthcare as it would become more useful for elderly people,” she says.
Aditi Shastri, a 30-year-old photographer, has loved the iPhone for the camera and “less app crashes,” but feels the new iPhones are too expensive, which is perhaps why she is not sure she will consider buying one of them. 30-year-old marketing and content specialist Ritika Suri likes the ease of use that Apple provides, and agrees that the new iPhones are overpriced, but also concedes that she will be investing in one of the new iPhones. “I think I’ll get the iPhone XR,” says Suri. “Love the color options and the features.” The iPhone XR does seem to have generated some interest among the people we spoke to. “Though I’m mainly in the market for a new iPad Pro (hoping for another event in October), if I have to buy one of the new devices it would probably be the XR. I personally have never been a fan of phones larger than four inches, I might just end upgrading, mainly because my SE has started to show its age and is struggling to serve as my daily driver,” says Khoparzi. “I’m hoping I can get the XS, but only after the prices dip a bit,” says Maddur. Singh, as ever, knows his mind. “I’ll get the Apple Watch,” she says. Not surprisingly, not many of the people we spoke to talked about purchasing the most expensive iPhone of them all, the XS Max, but that could change when the devices finally hit the Indian market later this month. We will keep you informed of developments and of course, stay tuned for our reviews. As of now, judging by our (very small) sample, most feel the pricing has gone steep, but still look forward to buying one of the products. Especially the watch. Should the new iPhones ‘Watch’ out? (You can also read this illuminating Quora discussion thread on the pricing of Apple products)
