Hold on to Your Pants, India, Apple is Coming for You

India outpaced China for iPhone growth last quarter, and Apple isn't letting that momentum go to waste. The company is looking to build on the 93 percent growth it's seeing in India and break through the two percent market it currently holds. Translation: Apple is gunning for Samsung's marketshare in India.

Apple wants some serious iPhone action in IndiaApple wants some serious iPhone action in India

Apple's focus on China makes sense considering the country is home to over 1.35 billion potential smartphone owners. Company executives talked about China's growth potential several times during its third fiscal quarter earnings report and pointed out iPhone sales were up 87 percent in the country.

With over 1.25 billion people, India has the potential to be a huge iPhone market, too, and that's a market Apple is now actively pursuing. Apple is finally airing iPhone commercials in the country, is increasing the number of in-country distributors, and is aggressively going for more shelf space in retail stores.

IDC managing director for India and South Asia Jaideep Mehta told Reuters, "Apple is consciously expanding its distribution in India and pushing its products aggressively. The marketing spend too is a part of that."

That's bad news for Samsung and its Android-based smartphones. So far, the electronics giant has been able to sell in India without much competition from Apple. That, however, is changing as Apple ramps up its marketing efforts in the country.

Apple has to overcome price issues in the country, and it looks like the company is already working on plans to address that. iPhone buyers can choose monthly payment plans for their new iPhone, and Apple Music costs less than US$2 a month, compared to $9.99 a month in the United States.

That's something of a change for Apple considering the company has always focused on product quality without worrying about market share. Apple isn't setting quality aside, but is—at least in India—actively working to boost market share.

For U.S. iPhone fans this marks a change, too. Americans tend to forget there's a world beyond our borders and some of those mysterious other-places have the potential to be much larger markets. Apple gets that, which means India can get excited about what's coming, and Samsung should probably start worrying.