Set to launch in 2 days, Vodafone India has announced the pricing of Apple iPhone 3G. The pricing is almost similar to what many of us including yours truly was expecting. The 8GB model will be priced at around Rs 31000 and the 16GB will cost not less than Rupees 36000. I think this is a fair pricing considering the cost of unlocked iPhones in the world market. With no history of contract or subsidized pricing in this country, this is the best one can hope for.
This high pricing will make the iPhone a niche product in this country. The obvious targets could be the high earning youth among the IT sector. The iPhone 3G will go head to head with the Nokia N96 which is priced under the same range. What one should note is that Nokia phone prices keep falling once they are launched in the market, which is not true in the case of Apple products. This means that by the end of November 2008, you will be able to purchase a Nokia N96 24GB (16Gb internal + a bundled 8GB micro SD) for less than 30,000. With the right marketing, Nokia will be able to make a dent in the iPhone 3G sales.
Update: Vodafone India has done a Rogers by announcing some outrageous data plans. Stay tuned, I have a post on this later today.
Related: iPhone 3G Alternatives
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Son of a bitch! India gets a 8GB bundled card!
well said…
as it is there won’t be many takers when iphone users start talking abt issues that they are facing with their devices..
http://whattheydontteachuatiphoneschool.wordpress.com/2008/08/21/iphones-midnight-shock/
ppl with brains and rationale minds will go for n96.