Apple to set up outlets across tier II cities

Apple, which has been keen on setting up a chain of outlets that would sell Apple products in regions where it had limited retail presence.

According to The Times of India the iPhone maker was going for ''an India-specific strategy aimed at trying to grab market share from dominant rival Samsung.'' The stores would be set up in cities and towns such as Pune, Vishakhapatnam, Guwahati, Durgapur and Gangtok.

The company is expected to set up independent stores in neighbourhoods across the country with help from Indian distributors Redington and Ingram Micro, as also other trade partners.

The move comes after the company's decision to bring back the iPhone 4 to India, which is a key growth market.

With a meagre 2-per cent market share in the country, Apple is not a major player in the Indian smartphone market.

The company's premium pricing has kept away buyers in India, which the iPhone 4 re-launch was supposed to correct.

The company had re-released the iPhone 4 earlier this year and even as the company was being slammed for using India as a dumping ground for old stock, it believed Indians would be ready to accept older devices, if prices were right.