Apple’s latest push to sell used iPhones in India is meeting strong resistance from a consumer group backed by rival Samsung, Bloomberg reports. Apple’s 2015 application was rejected, and the company’s recent request has drawn opposition from technology executives who say allowing the sale of used phones will turn India into a dumping ground for electronic waste.
“Make in India could turn into Dump in India,” said Sudhir Hasija, chairman of Karbonn Mobiles, referencing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Make in India program that encourages local manufacturing.
Apple has been working vigorously to make headway in the Indian market, moving ahead with plans to open its own retail stores in the country and even hinting at moving some of its manufacturing there. But discontinuing sales of iPhone 4s and 5c models in India in February has doubled the price of an entry-level iPhone in the country, from the 12,000 rupees charged for the iPhone 4s to 24,000 rupees for the iPhone 5s.
If allowed to sell used phones, Apple could close the gap for lower income buyers used to paying less for a smartphone, but the newly formed Mobile and Communications Council — whose members include phone brands Micromax, Intex and Samsung — has written directly to the government, strongly opposing Apple’s application. Asha Nangia, a director in the Department of Electronics & Information Technology, said the application is undergoing inter-ministerial discussion.
