Apple tempts with exchange scheme

Kavita Nair in Mumbai

AS part of its initiative to position laptop as the centre of digital lifestyle, Apple Computer International Pvt Ltd is aggressively targeting the entry level laptop segment with its ‘Desktop to notebook exchange scheme’. This scheme will include both the ‘Power book’ targeted at high end corportes and iBook, unofficially called the ‘ice-book’ targeted at the self-employed professionals, creative segments and education institutes.

Under this scheme, the user will be able to exchange a desktop of any make, minimum configuration of which will have to be a Celeron or MMX, a P2 or a P3. The discounts available to the consumer range from Rs 14,000 in the case of a Celeron or MMX exchange, Rs 17,500 for a P2 exchange and Rs 25,000 for a P3 exchange. The prices of the products currently range from 99,900 to Rs 200,000.

This scheme, which will continue till the end of September, will be carried out through Apple Authorised resellers.

Industry observers, however, feel that a scheme like this may not necessarily affect the current market shares of the major players. They say that Apple computers and laptops have always been more expensive than any other laptop brand. Some of the industry observers feel that the scheme might just about succeed in converting consumers on the “periphery” to Apple users. Apple’s charter, they feel, may not be to cater to the masses finally.

Most other laptop brands are priced lower than what the current Apple scheme offers.

Acer India’s entry level product — a Celeron 700, with a 64 MB and 20 gigabyte hard drive with 12.1 inch TFT (Thin Film Transitor) is priced at Rs 69,990 and offers everything that a desktop offers except for the LAN capability.