Mint Quick Edit | Apple is about to topple Samsung globally but wins in India could prove harder

Apple has strong demand for iPhone 17 in the US and China to thank. A switch at the top could be taken as a win for Apple’s product differentiation over Samsung’s pricing strategy. But the Korean firm has been losing market share to Chinese players beating it at its own game, so there’s space enough for price players.

In India, Apple is far from No. 1. It has been in the news not just for expanding local iPhone production, but for filing a legal challenge to a 2023 tweak in India’s antitrust law that lets penalties imposed by the Competition Commission be calculated on the basis of a law violator’s global turnover.

True, this change exposes Apple to the risk of huge fines, as it fears. But the amendment to that effect was a sovereign decision. Tiny fines had proven too weak to deter rule-breaking by global megacorps. This isn’t disproportionate punishment, but a practical way to give the law enough teeth to do its job of ensuring fair competition.