Compustar launches iPhone 8 for Bangladesh market
Compustar Pvt Limited, the authorised distributor of iPhone in Bangladesh, yesterday launched the new iPhone 8 at a ceremony at its Gulshan office in Dhaka.
The iPhone 8, equipped with retina high definition display and A11 bionic chip, will be available for sale in stores from tomorrow, said Raquibul Kabir, chairman of Compustar, a concern of Union Group of Companies.
Pre-orders for the smartphone, which has water resistance capability, started to come up from October 27, he said. Union Group officially started selling iPhones in Bangladesh in 2014, he said.
“We imported 1,150 pieces of iPhones in 2014. Apple was not that much confident about us at that time. They thought we would not be able to increase its sales in Bangladesh.”
“But our company achieved tremendous success in the next year when we sold 9,789 units of the smartphone. The figure touched 16,343 in 2016,” Kabir said.
Last year's performance helped Union Group win Apple's trust, he said.
“Earlier this year, a high official of the US-based tech giant visited Bangladesh to check the prospects of the company's business here. After the visit, Apple expressed its interest to do more business with us.”
According to official statistics, around 1 lakh iPhones were sold in Bangladesh last year, which is six times higher than the number of sets sold through the only distributor Compustar, he said.
Many of the sets sold by those other than Compustar are either fake or refurbished or have been brought into the country using illegal mean, Kabir said. He also urged people to purchase the smartphone from authorised re-sellers or retailers only. The government loses a huge amount of duty because of the sales of iPhones via unauthorised sources, he said.
Original iPhones are available at Grameenphone Centre, Robi Sheba, Banglalink Mono Brand Store, Gadget & Gear, Mobile World Store and some authorised resellers, including iCenter, Executive Machines and Computer Source. People can also buy the sets online through Pickaboo.com, he said.
Kabir said his company also has a website—www.compustarltd.com— where the customers can verify the authenticity of their iPhones. Mohammad Akber Hossain, CEO of Compustar, and Rajesh Bhimsaria, managing director, were also present.
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