Two of India’s leading GSM mobile operators, Vodafone and Bharati Airtel have started pre-booking of Apple iPhone without announcing the price or launch dates. Interestingly, there are speculations which project the phone’s pricing to be anywhere between 8000 and 16000 bucks (INR).
Many people in India do not know how the contract system in USA and many other countries work, which makes them assume that the Jesus phone will be sold in India for the same price at which AT&T sells it in the USA. This indeed is a flawed assumption.
If O2 UK pricing of non-contract 3G iPhone is any indicator, the 8GB iPhone 3G in India will cost a whopping INR 28000, which is roughly close to US$700 based on current foreign exchange rates. But I personally believe that the pricing will be even more higher, as generally Apple products in India are sold at a premium. The current pricing of most Apple products are at a special exchange rate of about INR 60 per US$. That means, the iPhone 3G could have a starting price of close to INR 40000. It may sound ridiculous, but that is how Apple prices the products in this country owing to the entry taxes and customs duties. While INR 40000 may sound higher on paper, note that when the Nokia N95 was introduced in this country more than an year back – it was priced at a hefty INR 35000, in spite of which it was a reasonable success in this country. Yours truly still owns one.
Whatever may be the pricing, the iPhone has created enough interest in this country already. If the number of people who WOW at my phone everyday is any indicator, then the Jesus phone is destined to become a major hit in India.
Related: Buying an Apple iPhone in India
