14 DAY TRIAL // A report from New Delhi, the capital of India, reveals that Apple has “shocked” buyers in the country with price spikes for old-generation tablet models dating as far back as 2011.
Upon announcing new iPad models, Apple this year discontinued some models and kept aboard the original iPad 2 and iPad mini (with standard-resolution display) by slashing their prices to make them more affordable.
Not in India, though. According to The Times of India, “Instead of slashing prices of the two-year old iPad 2 and last year's iPad mini, the Cupertino-based manufacturer has increased the prices of the two models.”
As such, iPad 2 Wi-Fi models go for Rs 28,900 ($464.55), a price increase of Rs 4,400 ($70), while the Wi-Fi + cellular models now sell for Rs 37,900 ($609.22), an increase of Rs 5,000 ($80.37) from the previous Rs 32,900 ($528.85) price.
iPad mini Wi-Fi + cellular now costs Rs 30,900 ($496.70), up Rs 1,000 ($16.07), while the Wi-Fi-only version remains the only Apple tablet whose price remains intact at Rs 21,900 ($352.03).
According to the report, the large difference between India’s prices and global prices of Apple iPads has to do with the weak performance of the rupee.