This may make Mac fans in other parts of the world cringe, but in India one of the biggest selling points for a Mac is it’s ability to ‘run multiple OS’ (read, Windows). The Apple resellers in Bangalore are running a concerted campaign using print & radio media to sell Macs to College Students.
The ads and the promotional material at the Store used to highlight ‘can run Windows applications’ big & bold, which has now been modified a bit. Other selling points include ability to run MS Office and exchange files with PCs. Not surprising, since after the barrier of price, the second biggest barrier is the unfamiliar territory of a Mac for most. Most of the potential buyers are likely to be first-time Mac buyers, probably introduced to or enamoured by a Mac, thanks to the iPod. Even in the corporate world, the questions about a Mac reflect this nfamiliarity: can it open a PowerPoint file? can I share files? Any problem in opening a file which was previously worked on in a PC is attributed to ‘format problem’.
The radio spots are on the lines of the Apple ‘Switchers’ TVC with testimonials of ex-Windows users. In this program, the cheapest Macbook works out to about Rs.56,000 (approx US$ 1175), whereas most Windows laptops are sold on the price platform – starting from 20-30k. Nevertheless, it is heartening to at last see a concerted effort to sell Macs in India.
