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Samsung, Apple, Nokia,
Motorola, Sony, LG and HTC are major Multinational mobile
handset companies operating in India. Micromax, Lava, Karbonn,
Intex and Spice are Indian counter parts. While international
players operate in premium segment also, indian companies
operate in budget and value segment only. Of late Chinese
companies Xiomi, Lenevo, Huwai and Gionee have also made an
entry into the market. Samsung was continuously the largest
player by market share from last few years but in 2014 it was
over thrown by Micromax. During the 2004-2009 period Nokia
was the market leader which was beaten by Samsung. Blackberry
which once commanded a significant market share has been almost
swept out of the market.Of late there has been increased
competition in the market especially in the smart phone segment.
Almost all the globally brands are present and everyone wants to
capture a share of the pie. Yotaphone – a Russian brand launched
it’s devices in 2014 and Asus has also shown renewed interest in
the market with the launch of its Zen phone series.
Many players have opted for online only model with Motorola
being the first brand to introduce it by its exclusive tie-up up
with Flipkart to sell its devices. Of late there is a trend of
flash sales where in mobile devices are available in select
numbers to pre-registered users on a previously announced time
and date. This method tries to create artificial scarcity of the
product. This method was first introduced by Xiomi and later
followed by many brands including Micromax for Yu brand which is
available online exclusively. Feature phones have seen their
market share been taken by smart phones as the prices for the
same have come down drastically in last two years. Plunging
prices due to lower cost of manufacturing and fierce competition
has made smart phones very affordable and now are available in
market even for as little as $50.
Along with mobile phones tablet devices have also seen
increasing sales quarter on quarter. Once deemed expensive when
first introduced in 2009-10, tablets are now available for less
than $100 with decent configuration. Android is the preferred
choice for operating system for tablets followed by iOS.
Price entry barrier of iOS based tablets is the region why it is
lagging behind.
When it comes to Mobile operating system – Google’s Android
mobile operating system is the clear winner followed by iOS and
windows operating system. India is one of the few countries
where Windows mobile operating system has been doing well and
holds a respectable share.
Of late brick and mortal stores are facing tough competition
from their online counter parts due to the online players
selling them at lower prices due to lower costs.
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