The iPhone 4 is four years old and Apple probably won’t be able to sell many units if it started offering it again in the U.S. Though a few months back it was reported that the company had started producing iPhone 4 units once again primarily to compete against mid-range smartphones in emerging markets. Thus the smartphone was relaunched in India and other markets, where it sold for $300 off contract and unlocked. A new report out of India today claims that now the iPhone 4 has been pulled from the market once and for all.
The reason could be a global drop in the average selling price of the iPhone. Apple reported a $41 drop in ASP during its most recent quarter and analysts attributed it to the relaunch of iPhone 4 and price cuts for iPhone 4S in emerging markets. Apple’s trade partners in India say that for the past two weeks they have not received any fresh supplies of the iPhone 4 and that the company has told them not to expect shipments in the future.
One of its trade partners says that Apple will make a similar move in other emerging markets where it relaunched the iPhone 4. The smartphone may have done its job of increasing Apple’s market share, in India alone it doubled the consumer base to 2.5 million people.
In the Indian market Apple recently launched a buyback offer for the iPhone 4S, making it the company’s best selling model by number of units sold. With all of these moves Apple may have succeeded in bringing more customers into its ecosystem, even if its a market where the latest iPhone can set customers back nearly $1,000.
Filed in . Read more about iPhone 4.