iApple Products

Ex-Apple CEO to launch smartphones in India in May

Former Apple CEO John Sculley who is the co-founder of Inflexionpoint, an IT supply chain company, on Thursday announced the launch of the operations of Obi Mobiles, the mobile brand of his company, in the Indian market.

Obi Mobiles will be headquartered in Gurgaon and promoted by Inflexionpoint, IT supply chain company co-founded by John Sculley. Obi will be headed by Ajay Sharma as CEO. Ajay has previously worked with Micromax and HTC as their smartphone division head.

Obi Mobiles plans to release its handsets that are specifically designed for India by early May 2014 in the Indian market.

Sculley said in a statement, "I see a huge opportunity in fulfilling the requirements of growing and prospering middle class. India leads in mobile phone penetration. However owing to the delay in implementation of 3G services and high smartphone prices, the smartphone share in India is only 20%, leaving larger part of the ground with opportunities yet to be tapped. The scenario hence becomes a favourable and attractive chance for us to launch Obi Mobiles and offer the best of the smartphone with an apt pricing model."

Ajay Sharma, CEO, Obi Mobiles, said, "India's smartphone market still has many opportunities to offer in terms of mobile features and value added services. Obi Mobiles will be catering to the needs of young Indians who want to own a mobile phone with latest technology, features and are also seeking value for money. These are also the major factors why young Indians replace their handsets quite frequently."

He further said, "Additionally, with access to branding and marketing guidance from John Sculley and a well experienced team that we have built, we look forward to reaping the benefits of the intense smartphone demand in India."