Vodafone To Launch iPhone 3G In India On Friday For A Whopping $715 And $830
So much for the iPhone reaching any scale in India. Vodafone (NYSE: VOD), through its Vodafone Essar joint venture, is gearing up to launch the iPhone 3G in India beginning August 22, but the device will cost almost $715 for the 8GBt model, PC World reports. The 16GB model will sell for $830. Those price points are even higher than what the first iPhone sold for in the U.S. and one that most Indians can’t afford. Even considering an IT professional’s average annual salary of $12,000 to $24,000 in India, it’s hard to imagine the device selling well among that segment. Vodafone put up a website to detail its iPhone 3G pricing and availability. The details on Voda’s website: “The iPhone 3G is available in 8GB and 16GB at Rs 31,000 and Rs 36,100 respectively. And as you have already pre-registered with us, you can get it before others do. All you need to do is drop in at a select Vodafone Store between August 20 and 21 and confirm your booking by paying Rs 10000 through cash or credit card. Don’t forget to show the iPhone booking SMS, which you would have received from us, when you visit the Vodafone Store to make the deposit.” Guess this mean people may still flock to the grey-market versions, which are cheaper in this case, possibly as much as Rs 4K-Rs 5K, according to this BS story.
Bharti Airtel has also said it plans to begin selling the device on the same day, but hasn’t disclosed pricing.
Turns out of course even though it is called iPhone 3G, and that’s what the site lists it as, it is actually only GPRS, which is enhanced 2G. On this Voda page, it says in fine print: “Currently compatible only with 2G networks. Only select features and services are currently available in India.” Remember, India still has no 3G networks to speak of, the Indian government plans to auction off spectrum for the higher-speed networks later this year, which commercial deployments expected in the first half of 2009…even that has been delayed due to political issues.
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Comments (17)
Aug 19, 2008 11:09 PM
@Vodafone - Too expensive to buy! Plz dont create too much hype in indian market…otherwise be prepared for a flop show.
Aug 20, 2008 12:32 AM
Correction in your piece: all you gigabits need to be gigabytes, instead
Aug 20, 2008 12:39 AM
Thanks…corrected.
Aug 20, 2008 12:39 AM
What a mispricing joke. You would think Apple and Vodafone would have learned from Apple’s initial launch of the iPhone in the States where they ended up knocking 200 bucks from the price. Personally, if the phone was priced at Rs 24,000 (USD 600), it would do well.
The upside - I have a couple friends that would pay anything for a new iPhone and now they get their chance and probably no need to stand in line.
Aug 20, 2008 2:31 AM
ust got a mail from Vodafone that 8gb costs 31,000 and 16gb costs 36,100 and available on 22nd august..Vodafone asks the customers to book iphone by paying an advance of 10,000 in vodafone store and take an appontment..the remaining amount should be paid on the appointment date..Whom the hell is they are thinking apple and vodafone..???? the same model and piece is released with 199US $ and now came to india it was 750 US$ .what they are thinking indians as fools???
Aug 20, 2008 2:58 AM
Just to clarify the pricing of the US and India, let’s take the 16GB model as an example:
USD 299 - for a new AT&T;customer, 2 year contract
USD 499 - for an existing AT&T;customer
USD 699 - for a non-contract customer, most likely will be using an prepaid AT&T;SIM
USD 820 - Airtel/Vodafone India. I’m assuming this does not include local taxes. The difference between the AT&T;non-contract phone and the India pricing is 17.3%, how much of that could be import duties?
I’m a HUGH Apple fan, but this is serious disappointment.
Aug 20, 2008 3:45 AM
Are these guys even serious?
Aug 20, 2008 6:19 AM
I am surprised to see all of you shocked with the price. This is exactly what was expected and by the way iPhones features are revolutionary and the price is justified. Respect the hard work that poeple have put in to develop this mind freaking device.
Aug 20, 2008 12:22 PM
Justified? In rupee terms??!!
Aug 21, 2008 2:54 AM
Get cheap mobile phones
Aug 21, 2008 2:56 AM
Get cheap air tickets
Aug 21, 2008 3:55 AM
Price not justified and upto that 3G services are still not available in India .........
Aug 21, 2008 6:13 AM
Yes the Iphone has ‘revolutionary’ features….but most features are already being adopted by other companies ...only the Iphones touchscreen is unmatched…but in camparison to a N96 which may be similarly priced it is no match….....The reason Iphone became popular was because it was ‘cheap’ in the US. A similar plan involving the cost of the phone being recovered in monthly bills slowly over a period of time must be launched in India….31k at one go for a phone which cannot use half its features and will use gprs here is not fair….the cool internet functions of the iphone will work only next year ( that too if the govt finally speeds up the 3g auctions) .
Aug 22, 2008 12:21 AM
Only people with black money like Mukesh Ambani can afford to buy at this price.
Sep 2, 2008 5:15 AM
Hi,
Lot and lot of people are cursing themselves not to having that of much amount and missing their desire to have iphone.
Seriously price is really high, but recently came to know that Airtel has tied up with banks to provide iphone with easy EMI
option. It can be checked at:
http://www.airtel.in/iphone3g
Rajiv
May 6, 2009 2:45 AM
In India now day people are not change mobile if i am using nokia then why should i go for other mobile.
I know iphone have 3G function but in India we are unable to use this features so why should i pay for that function. I think India have to start the 3G service soon.
Jun 1, 2009 4:08 AM
Turns out of course even though it is called iPhone 3G, and that’s what the site lists it as, it is actually only GPRS, which is enhanced 2G. On this Voda page, it says in fine print: “Currently compatible only with 2G networks.