Apple's iPhone, the touch screen handset that acquired a cult status in the US and other western countries, will be available to Indian mobile users through private telecom operators Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Essar from August 22, giving competitors like Nokia, Samsung and others a run for their money.
Indian consumers, who have waited for months to own the iconic 3G-enabled Apple iPhone, will have to pay Rs 31,000 for the entry-level 8GB memory mobile phone and Rs 36,100 for a model with double the memory.
Both Vodafone and Airtel will be launching the iPhone on August 22 and industry experts say bookings and pre-launch interest suggest that they would be able to sell over 100,000 phones in the next 12 months. Companies like Vodafone, which opened bookings for the phones in July, have already received booking requests of over 10,000 phones.
The domestic price, however, is much steeper than the US price. The handset is available for $199 (Rs 8,358) in the US, plus $99 (Rs 4,158) as an annual contract with the telecom company since the handsets are linked to the service provider.The non-3G Apple iPhone -- which was launched by the company earlier -- is available in the Indian grey market at around Rs 20,000, down from Rs 24,000 a few months ago. Grey market operators are now also cracking the codes for the 3G Apple iPhone and said it would be priced Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,000 cheaper than the Vodafone or Airtel price points. Second-hand 2G iPhones are available for around Rs 15,000.
Millions of Airtel and Vodafone Essar subscribers would be able to purchase the iPhone at their retail counters from August 22. While Bharti Airtel has 69 million subscribers, Vodafone Essar has 49 million.
Leading cell phone makers like Nokia, Motorola and Samsung have stepped up their R&D efforts to bring feature rich phones in India to compete iPhones.
Iphone Technical Features : [iPhone Features]
Indian consumers, who have waited for months to own the iconic 3G-enabled Apple iPhone, will have to pay Rs 31,000 for the entry-level 8GB memory mobile phone and Rs 36,100 for a model with double the memory.
Both Vodafone and Airtel will be launching the iPhone on August 22 and industry experts say bookings and pre-launch interest suggest that they would be able to sell over 100,000 phones in the next 12 months. Companies like Vodafone, which opened bookings for the phones in July, have already received booking requests of over 10,000 phones.
The domestic price, however, is much steeper than the US price. The handset is available for $199 (Rs 8,358) in the US, plus $99 (Rs 4,158) as an annual contract with the telecom company since the handsets are linked to the service provider.The non-3G Apple iPhone -- which was launched by the company earlier -- is available in the Indian grey market at around Rs 20,000, down from Rs 24,000 a few months ago. Grey market operators are now also cracking the codes for the 3G Apple iPhone and said it would be priced Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,000 cheaper than the Vodafone or Airtel price points. Second-hand 2G iPhones are available for around Rs 15,000.
Millions of Airtel and Vodafone Essar subscribers would be able to purchase the iPhone at their retail counters from August 22. While Bharti Airtel has 69 million subscribers, Vodafone Essar has 49 million.
Leading cell phone makers like Nokia, Motorola and Samsung have stepped up their R&D efforts to bring feature rich phones in India to compete iPhones.
Iphone Technical Features : [iPhone Features]
Source : Business Standard & Rediff
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