Apple boosts Indian smartphone marketshare to 9%, still lags behind BlackBerry

Apple has made an aggressive push into India, boosting sales of its iPhone by 400% during the past quarter, although the company still lags behind key competitors including BlackBerry, Nokia and Samsung.

The news comes amidst plans by Apple to boost its market presence in developing nations.

As SmartCompany reported on Wednesday, in a recent speech to the Goldman Sachs Technology and Internet Conference, Apple chief Tim Cook pointed out the smartphone giant still had room to grow, on the grounds that the iPhone is currently only available to 50% of subscribers worldwide.

The Economic Times reports the company’s Indian division has grown from 30 staff to around 150 during the past six months, with the tech giant signing up local retail chains Redington and Ingram Micro to distribute its products.

Currently, smartphone penetration rates in India are around 10%, compared to over 50% in Australia, suggesting the market is set for further growth.

In total, around 251 million mobile phones are expected to be sold in India during 2013, including both smartphones and featurephones.

Apple currently holds around 9% of the Indian smartphone market, behind BlackBerry on 12.1%, Nokia on 19.2% and Samsung on 41.6%.

The introduction of instalment payment plans at for Apple products at major retailers is cited as a key reason for the company’s sudden growth.