Apple has reportedly turned back the clock and restarted manufacture of its iPhone 4 smartphone, but only for specific territories including India, Indonesia and Brazil,
According to a report in the Indian newspaper Economic Times, the move has been made in response to Apple's recent loss of market share across the territories as companies such as Samsung have been undercutting it with lower-prices Android handsets.
The report quotes "three senior executives" with direct knowledge of the company's plan, who said "Apple's Foxconn vendor in China has restarted production of the iPhone 4 just for India and the other two markets.
"Fresh iPhone 4 stocks, which have reached retail stores in the past 10 days, bear a December 2013 manufacturing date. Trade partners have been informed that new arrivals, reaching next week, would have been manufactured in January. The iPhone 4 production capacity could not be ascertained, but trade estimates put the number of phones that came to India in the first phase at 50,000-60,000," the report added.
The newspaper goes on to note that the move marks the first time Apple has restarted production of a discontinued phone.
Apparently the decision was made after Apple's local management team in India convinced the US company that an entry-level model at the Rs 20,000 price point was "essential" to claw back market share, which had been reoded with the more expensive iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c. The Times of India notes that the iPhone 4 had been a best seller in the Indian market due in large part to its attractive price point.
Apple has so far declined to comment on the report.
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