20th October. Magic Mouse unveiled. Fanboy excited.
27th October. Check in at the local Apple retailer. “Within two weeks”.
8th November. Check in again, “second week of December”.
8th December. Ankur offers to get me a mouse from the US, but I had faith in Apple India.
25th December. Christmas. No Magic Mouse.
20th January. Ankur offers to send me a mouse. I take it.
29th January, a whole 3 months after Apple released the mouse. A Magic Mouse arrives. Fanboy thrilled, but Apple India had no part to play in it.

I don’t know who’s running Apple’s Indian division, but they deserve a royal kick in the nuts. Indian Apple customers have forever been treated as second grade citizens, as the overlords gently throw around scraps of technology as a favour to the Indian customer. Well guess what, I’m fed of up this shit.

The iPhone 3GS was released in June 2009, no sign of it in India. Phil Schiller said that by August, India would get the iPhone 3GS. We’re in February now, the 3GS even made its way into Uganda, but no, Apple India thinks we’re not good enough for superior products. This is the iPhone we’re talking about here, and the biggest mobile market in the world doesn’t have it. The grey market on the other hand flourishes, with 3GS’ going for INR 36-39k, so those who really wanted it have got it. That does leave out the casual buyer who wants to buy a smartphone. In fact, even if the iPhone 3GS was launched in India, the casual buyer would still think it doesn’t have SMS forwarding because Apple India doesn’t care enough to run a single ad on any form of media! That’s about the iPhone. Snow Leopard was released August 28th, 2009. It’s a software product, in the tiniest package. Add to that Apple had ample time before its release for shipment. Took more than a month and a half to show up on retail. Let’s not forget that we don’t have the full iTunes Store for India. And for the half-assed Apps only Store, we have to deal with prices in dollars, while the rest of the world gets their own regional pricing.

The heads at Apple India must have been chosen on the basis of their qualifications, rather than any understanding of the Apple culture. “He’s got an MBA, he’ll be perfect to run this division”. The iPod Nanos land surprisingly quick, mostly within a week of release—I suppose they rake in the maximum cash with those. iMacs with the Magic Mouse have been shipping for a while now. There’s definitely a larger margin selling an expensive iMac than supplying a single mouse. What these MBA sporting idiots don’t understand is how the Apple ecosystem works. Apple doesn’t sell products, they sell you an experience. Contrastingly, Apple India sells you cute boxes with pretty hardware in it. No wonder Apple isn’t doing well in India. To have a good thriving business requires initial effort in cultivating that market. It’s to keep your existing customers happy, so they will in turn recommend your products to others. Now I wouldn’t recommend a Mac to any of my friends because I’ll be the one blamed when they’re denied support.

When the Magic Mouse was launched, I figured it was just a mouse, so it had to show up within a week or two (I remember the Mighty Mouse took three weeks to get here). Friends offered to send me the mouse; I chose to wait, even though it would cost more. How was I repaid? Kept waiting for three months, with no mouse in sight. There are reports of Magic happening at certain stores in Delhi, but the local Apple reseller tells me they must be importing them on their own (smuggling was the word used). I can imagine the plight of those waiting for the iPhone 3GS, but not being able to do anything other than to get it from the grey market.

What about service? Apple India is no good at that either. Take a look at Preshit’s and Ankur’s first hand account of how Apple treats its Indian customers. These are not an isolated cases¹, as I’ve experienced it first hand myself. The only reason I get manage to sort things out without much hassle, is because I know the owners of the local Apple Store well enough that they take care of my issues²—I never have to deal with AppleCare beyond registering a Case-ID. Moreover, iPhone users are stuck to dealing with Vodafone and AirTel to solve their issues. Apple won’t entertain a single call about iPhone, even though we have to pay the full unsubsidized price for buying one of these. By contrast, Dell India sends a technician right to your home (even in remote villages), and then sends you a replacement before they take the malfunctioning unit away.

The fact that three of us wrote anti-Apple (India) pieces at the same time, shows just how fed up we are. No, we didn’t plan these three posts out, they were actually three separate pieces [admittedly, I asked Ankur to hurry up with his article, but only since I knew he was working on it already]. If you disappoint your biggest fans, what’s going to happen to those who don’t even know about Apple?

I’m done being patient with Apple India. From hereon, whenever required, I’ll get my Apple goodness from the US or elsewhere. It’s not a solution to the problem, but at least I won’t be disappointed. The iPad in India? I’m not going to be waiting. I’ll try my best to secure it from abroad. Apple India, you may stick it.