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Monday, 11 December 2017 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
By Charumini de Silva
Abans, the authorised reseller and service provider for Apple in Sri Lanka, expressed confidence to surpass revenue of Rs. 1 billion from iPhone sales this year, and unveiled its plans to expand reach to four new official stores next year.
From left: Dinesh Perera Deputy Director Abans, Shah Bulathsinghala Apple Brand Manager, Mahesh Perera Apple Sales Manager and Chanuka Perera Assistant Brand Manager launching the Apple iphone X
Apple’s most groundbreaking release to date, the iPhone X was launched in Colombo at Abans – Apple iStore, Racecourse Grounds Mall on Friday.
“In the history of launching iPhones in Sri Lanka, for the first time we sold out all 1,400 pre-ordered phones. It is a great achievement for Sri Lanka which replicates the same market situation in developed countries. This year from iPhone sales we hope to exceed revenue of Rs. 1 billion,” Abans Deputy Director Dinesh Perera told the Daily FT.
Building up the crescendo to the actual launch of the phone, Abans opened its doors to pre-orders on 1 December, wherein consumers who pre-ordered their latest iPhones before 8 December could collect them on the morning of the launch.
He said the iPhone X is available in 64GB and 256GB, comes in two colour variants, Space Grey and Silver both striking a rich and smooth look due to its all-glass finish. Paving the path to an innovative design language of phones, Apple is all set to change the course of smartphone technology with its most ambitious attempt at making an absolutely seamless creation.
Celebrating a decade of dominance in the realm of iPhones, Abans partnered with numerous Banks to offer attractive payment plans that span over instalment payments up to 52 months and 0% interest schemes.
He said next year they will open four new official stores, including an iconic store at Colombo City Centre, which will be open for consumers in March 2018.
“At present we have six official stores and this will be expanded to 10. We hope that with more official stores coming into the market at large shopping malls, such as Colombo City Centre, Shangri-La retail complex will help to reach out to more consumers to use original products,” he added.
Noting that Apple believes in selling experience rather than proving phones at discounted prices, Perera emphasised that the grey market in Sri Lanka was a concern which stands at 65%. However, he is optimistic that the market for original products will gradually develop as consumers have more reach for awareness and experiences at the original stores.
Insisting the Government to take action on grey and inferior products coming to the country, he pointed out that refurbished, used products are in the market with exorbitant or original prices.
First Customer of Apple iphone X Kirthi Wannakuaatte and Dinesh Perera Deputy Director Abans
Reflecting on the strategy to convert the market for Sri Lanka he stressed that they have introduced N1, N2 and N3 products that represent iPhone 5S,6,7 and 8 at all of their stores. “Today an Android user could be easily converted to an Apple user because of the high brand value and perception. The fact that iPhone 5S is priced at Rs. 39,990 has been able to attract new customers. This has also helped to mitigate the grey market.”
Since the grand unveiling of this ‘smartphone of the future’ at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino, Apple’s iPhone X has been referred to as a revolutionary addition to the iPhone family. Triggering an abundance of consumer excitement with its first major redesign in three years, the star feature of this device is undoubtedly the all-screen appearance with a 5.8-inch edge-to-edge OLED Super Retina Display. By eliminating the home button this phone has given life to the all-new Face ID recognition facilitated by the TrueDepth Camera system. The iPhone X also features a dual 12-megapixel rear camera with better aperture than ever before and optical image stabilisation to give clear sharp images even in darker ambient lighting conditions. Take your selfie game up a notch with the 7-megapixel TrueDepth front camera that provides portrait mode and wide colour capture with auto stabilisation and exposure control to give you the best selfies you desire.
Furthermore, the A11 Bionic Chip is designed to be the smartest chip used in an iPhone thus far. It features a six-core CPU design that comprises of two performance cores operating 25% faster and four efficiency cores that are 70% faster in performance than its predecessor. It also generates over 30% faster graphics that provide more fluidity and motion for apps and games.
Pix by Sameera Wijesinghe
