Budget Impact: Apple iPhones, watches get costlier from today

Four days after the government announced the hike on mobile phones customs duty, iPhone maker Apple has raised prices of its products across various models.

Apple has revised the prices of both phones and watches by up to Rs 3,210 and Rs 2,510. It will come into effect from Monday.

The maximum retail price (MRP) of the 256GB version of iPhone X has been raised by Rs 3,210 to Rs 108,930. The price of iPhone 6 (32GB) has been increased 3.6% (Rs1,120) and will now cost Rs 31,900.

The iPhone SE, which is being assembled in India by Wistron, is priced at Rs 26,000 (for 32 GB) and Rs 35,000 (for 128 GB), reports Mint.

The government has raised the customs duty from 15 per cent to 20 per cent. This is the second round of duty hike in the last two months. Earlier in December, the government had raised customs duty from 10 to 15 percent for electronics and mobile products.

With revised pricing structure, iPhone X lovers will have to shell out Rs 1,08,930 for the 256GB variant, which was earlier available for Rs 1,05,720. While as the ‘Apple Watch Series 3’ would now be available for Rs 32,380, and 42mm for Rs 34,410.

Also Read: Apple’s iPhone prices pinch in India after govt hikes import tax

For Apple, India is one of the important markets after it witnessed downfall in sale in China. Over the years, the company had also launched a slew of initiatives, including production and manufacturing of iPhones.

In an attempt to expand its reach in smaller cities and towns in India, Apple had forged a partnership with local players.

Apple chief executive Tim Cook had earlier emphasized the importance of India to the company, with revenues from India more than doubling during the last September quarter.

According to the Registrar of Companies (Roc) filing, Apple India posted sales of Rs 11,619 crore ($1.8 billion) for the year ended March 2017, up from Rs 9,937 crore in the year-ago period (translating to 17% growth in a country).