India's leading newspaper, Times of India has confirmed the news that the much-awaited iPhone 3G will be launched in India on August 22 by Bharti Airtel just as I had reported last week.
They mention that reports indicate that the 8GB iPhone 3G model could cost Rs. 31,000 (approx. $730), while the 16 GB model could cost as high as Rs. 37,000 (approx $870) and this does not include the monthly rentals.
In a statement, Bharti said that millions of Airtel subscribers will be able to purchase the iPhone at Airtel's Relationship Centres from August 22. Sanjay Kapoor, President of Bharati Airtel had this to say about the iPhone:
"iPhone has been an iconic technological revelation of this year and Airtel has been at the forefront of innovation and customer delight in the Indian telecom sector."
Though the launch of iPhone 3G is good news for all those people in India waiting to get their hands on one of the most hyped gadgets ever created, the pricing seems to be shockingly high when you compare it with US where it costs $199 for the 8GB model and $299 for the 16GB model. That probably compares to the unlocked iPhones that are being sold on eBay.
The other interesting bit about the iPhone 3G launch in India is that 3G services are still not available, the Department of Telecom has just announced the much-awaited guidelines for third-generation (3G) spectrum allocation and so it is expected that the 3G services will be rolled out only after 6 months. So Indians will be paying that high price for an iPhone with 3G but for EDGE speed, which makes the pricing sound even more ridiculous.
I checked Airtel's website to compare the pricing for other smart phones and found that Blackberry 8820 which costs $249.99 in US (after mail-in rebates and for a 2-year contract), costs Rs. 31,990 (approx $750) excluding the rental plans. So the pricing of iPhone 3G seems to be in line with the pricing of other smart phones. The terms and conditions on their site for the Blackberry also suggests that iPhone 3G will be SIM locked:
"BlackBerry Devices from Airtel are SIM locked to Airtel Network, and no other operator's SIM will work on these devices."
So that also rules out the explanation that unlocked iPhone 3Gs will be sold in India like they are sold in Italy and Hong Kong.
I understand that India is a maturing market for smart phones but I wonder how Airtel expects to reach the millions of subscribers at such a high price.
What do you think?
PS: All currency conversions were done using XE.com on Aug 13, 2008.
[via Times Of India]
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Can regular India residents afford this kind of spending??? any body knows how much a regular India resident makes a week?
For perspective a Auto Rickshaw in India costs 1 Lakh, or 100,000 Rs. A tech employee(Programmer, not phone person) could afford the iPhone, but a simple person on the street will not be able to. And weird fact, everyone in India has a cell phone, they're everywhere and really cheap, and incoming calls are free on some carriers.
I believe that's a ridiculous price to pay. I was in touch with my friends from india who had expected the same price range quoted in the papers much earlier.
And as you said I don't know how Airtel expects to create a niche market with such a price. Well the indian market is anyways know for its behaviour what happens is the initial cost of services is always too high and then they subside. But anyways when apple did say that the max price would be $199 and $299 respectively then I don't know is that a violation or what ?
And to talk about the price
Rs 30,000 or about $700 is the monthly wage for some person in India for some a lil higher…. so the price isnt really feasable
Here a 16G B 3G costs $US 910.32 at today's exchange rate. When it was lauched, the Euro was higher meaning that back in July 11th, the 16GB 3G cost $US 957.54. And this doesn't include any kind of communication fees, being those charge separately.
Greetings from Portugal…
Yeah thats about right, in australia the iphone 3g 16gig is 850 outright…
hey man this isn't happening 37000 for such a shit man I am waiting for the phone desperately but its not worth more than 15k
it is without video rec.,3g networking won't come to india in coming 2 yrs but they will fool ppl by saying tht its coming soon………I cn get more features nd same look in htc touch tht tooo for less price nd without stupid plans………..this shit does not worth more than 15000…..
I prefer not to buy it above this price even if waited for it too long
hey man this isn't happening 37000 for such a shit man I am waiting for the phone desperately but its not worth more than 15k
it is without video rec.,3g networking won't come to india in coming 2 yrs but they will fool ppl by saying tht its coming soon………I cn get more features nd same look in htc touch tht tooo for less price nd without stupid plans………..this shit does not worth more than 15000…..
I prefer not to buy it above this price even if waited for it too long
this price tag cracks me and reinforce my recent hatred against apple even more! yes i m their guinea pig with original iphone and experiencing their terrible reception prob.
yes India has huge pool of users but hardly 5% of those can afford this price tag..anf if they do buy it there is no 3g! i m not even sure if google has a map for India so even gps is doubtful for me. and anyhow this is not gps..apple is bunch of liers thats for sure!
Hi
A bit of relief. Now airtel is providing option of EMI to buy iPhone (www.airtel.in/iphone3g). At least, now people who were
expecting to be in range of 16-20K can think again to buy it with EMI option. What you say guys? Can we hope to get its price
down in future as well?
Rajesh
No, it is not cheaper to own the iphone in the United States. The cost of ownership includes signing up for a plan two year contract or no contract people are buying the phone to use correct? The minimum cost of a plan for the 3G iphone is almost $80/month inclusive of taxes and fees. That gives you 450 minutes calling and receiving. Most people talk during the day for business so nights and weekends are meaningless. Unlimited data means nothing. Everybody has their limit. I will take Vodafone India’s iphone plan anyday of Rs. 999 which includes 300 minutes and 600 MB data. 600 MB data is more than plenty and if you go over that only 5p per 10K. You need to calculate what a typical user actually uses in terms of minutes and data. Plus, Indian sms is only 1 Rs and no need to buy an SMS pack. Again, in the US SMS is 20 cents each unless you buy an SMS pack but again you may not use all those SMS. I will take the Indian iphone plans anyday where I actually can pay for my usage. $80/month is approx. 4000 Rupees. Compare that to Vodafone’s 999 Rupee/month plan. It would take a lot of usage for an Indian iphone user to incure an extra 3000 rupees charges per month consistently. The US plans require a huge minimum monthly commitment which is not justified by most people’s usage. Nobody can use the plan consistently in a manner that justifies $80/month. Plus, we have no $20/month option like you do in India. Thus, we have to pay a minimum of an extra $720/year just to use the iphone. After less than one year of ownership, the American iPhone becomes more expensive than the Indian iPhone. Do the math before you complain. I will take $20/month anyday and a $600 phone cost versus the US $200 for the phone and $80/month commitment.
yea sanj is right….US is way too expensive for using iphone compare to usage in india where receiving calls is also free..
i duno why everyone is complaning..thats true a person has to shel a lot for buying an iphone and its nt reali comfortable for a person in india.. but on the long run if u see whoever wants an iphone has to pay…so please stop complaning…iphone is the best in market …the Apps r awesome no other phone not even N97 is as great as iphone..I simply love it.. but i have heard the rumours of 3gs getting heated up at using some apps..my bf has it he sometyms says so..even if its 3mp cam in 3gs the quality of pics and video is good.. whoever can afford it should buy for sure… how much is 3gs without contract in INDIA??
By the way if anyone wants a 3gs from US.. let me know..youl pay for shipping…mail me and leave me your no..cheers…
my email id is shraddhs4@hotmail.com ……..