Well, if you use your mobile phone just to make calls, send text messages or click photographs — the iPhone 3G is not for you.But in case you are a tech freak who loves tinkering with gadgets, this Apple smartphone might be your dream come true.
Downloadable GPS, games, AIM, Facebook on the go and of course 24-hour access to the iTunes store are just some of its pluses, but at 30,000 rupees (give or take a few hundred) for the 8GB model, the iPhone certainly doesn’t come cheap.
Slight problem though. Added applications are great on a phone that provides basic features like message and business card forwarding and video recording.
Unfortunately, these very basic features are not available on Steve Jobs’ latest offering as default.
Chayan Hazra, 30, is one iPhone owner who says he is willing to switch brands if something better comes up.
“If Nokia comes up with a phone that allows you to download applications and has a touch screen I will switch to it in a heartbeat because I know it will have all the basic features that I have become accustomed to in addition to these cool new apps,” he said.
Hazra fits right into mobile service provider Airtel’s category of “Achievers - young working, corporate professionals,” a target segment for the iPhone.
An Airtel spokesperson said they are also focussing on the “Funster segment” — tech-savvy individuals between the ages 18-35.
But for 20-something Soheil Engineer, his newly-acquired iPhone 3G doesn’t really live up to its name since 3G technology is yet to make an entry in India.
“I want to be able to live stream my favourite television shows on my phone while I am on the move,” he said.
That left me wondering. Just how many people are interested in the iPhone?
Both Vodafone Essar and Bharti Airtel, the two iPhone 3G retailers in India, are not revealing how many of the much-hyped smartphones have been sold in India since its launch last month.
A grey market dealer in Mumbai said he has sold 25-30 iPhones in two weeks and uses one himself.
I am sure that’s not good news for Apple… Unless they reduce the price by at least 10,000 rupees and India heralds in 3G technology, I certainly won’t buy one. Would you?
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http://www.watblog.com/2009/06/15/why-ip hone-prices-wont-come-down-in-india/
- Posted by abcsaurabh
Buddy..do your math..we Americans must pay $80/month for an iphone plan at a minimum. We don’t have the $20 option you have. $80 is not 2500 Rs…more like 4000 Rs. We don’t even get the option of a $20 plan and for many of us your Indian iphone $20 plan from Vodafone is more than enough. Who cares about paying 1 Rs. for any extra minutes or 5p for 10K. Most of us will never even hit the 600MB limit that Vodafone offers. Unlimited is just a gimmick as most people will never even use 200MB per month consistently.
- Posted by SamNo, 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.
Finally, you cannot just buy the phone legally in the United State for $199 without signing up for a two year contract. Unless you people in India think fraud is okay. Furthermore, do your math before you complain about the cost of the iphone in India. You are not required to spend $80 per month with taxes for the minimum plan offered. I will take your $20 per month plan with 600 MB data (which is more than enough for most people). In America, “unlimited” is just a gimmick because everybody has a limit. Be thankful that at least you have a $20/month option. Oh, want to compare the cost of health care and education in the United States to India? Get a life…
- Posted by SamHi, very intresting post.
- Posted by RituAnother shopping Comparison search engine in India http://oxyshopping.com Indian shopping search engine
Shoppers can find and compare all products such as Apperal, jewellery, gadgets, mobiles, laptop, electronics, gifts, beauty & personal care, pets, sports items and so on…
Now days India more than 300 online stores so very difficult to find right products as same time.
have a look http://www.oxyshopping.com
I bought an iphone recently and it is Great! Truly an incredible device - best music, video, phone, internet, application, gaming device out there. It is not fair to compare it to just a phone - it does so much more. I have had top of the line Nokia’s and Blackberry and the user interface and internet experience was very poor compared to the iphone. The App store is incredible - thousands of great apps.
Don’t blame Apple for the price - they have already presold 1 Million iphone to Bharti and Vodaphone each. So 2 M iphone already sold - the carriers are the ones that are being greedy but they will drop the price some. It is a much better value than buying just a phone from Nokia or Blackberry. Iphone is a very portable Laptop that does a lot more.
- Posted by rajeshDont bother. It doesnt work as advertised.
- Posted by mikeYa, certainly I would not buy one.
This iPhone looks good,it has a big touch screen and many applications. But it doesnt have some basic features like BLUETOOTH.
And the price is too much. In US you can get 2 iPhones with this amount. And if u order an unlocked one from ebay, it would cost you around 15000 including shipping.
Remember apple reduced price of iPhone by USD 200 with in just 2 months of its release. Same thing is going to happen in INDIA, just wait……….
- Posted by manasI have an Apple 3G iphone and have been EXTREMELY disappointed with the poor quality of the phone… it drops calls as fast as Paris Hilton’s panties!
The other features of the phone are absolutely first rate..web surfing is excellent…photos work great…
But the core feature (making a phone call) is terrible.
- Posted by dougI Will be the like other fools who bought it so pricey whereas in uk or us one can get $199 and get it fully unlocked for around$10.So have fun and let airtel & vodafone scratch their heads how to sell this awesome device.
- Posted by Sidfew days ago i got the following mail. its really helpful.
Friends ……those of you in India planning for iPhone… THINK TWICE BEFORE MAKING A DECISION… The short comings of iPhone are endless…
No video calling
No AD2P on the Bluetooth,
CAN’T share ANY (mp3, images,videos….) files via bluetooth,
Can’t use as a wireless modem, (you pay ridiculous data charges to activate internet on your phone , but cannot connect it to your PC and browse when you are at home)
No copy and paste,(cannot copy a part of a…. say…. email & send it….have to type it out yourself)
No 3.2 or 5 megapixel camera ,(the 2MP camera it carries is worst camera i’ve ever seen….. photos look like they have come out of a VGA camera)
No video recording with camera,
No front camera,
No flash.
No JAVA support
No physical keyboard (BELIEVE me! this alone is a dealbreaker…touch keyboard as good as it looks…once you use it then only you come to know about the importance of having a hard keypad)
No 3G network yet in India..so why pay for expensive 3G phone if you cant use its 3G services … so, for India, iPhone 2.0 is no better than its first version
No removable battery. (You cannot change battery. Have to send it to apple outlet.. Come on now!!!!…This is not an iPod . Its a bloody phone. You cannot live without phone for 2-3 days)
No haptic feedback and
cannot send MMS,
can’t use as external storage device (16 GB of utter waste..next time you go to your friend’s house & find some interesting songs, movies , etc…sorry you cannot connect your ‘16 GB’ phone and share it!!!! Apple apparently has a solution.. ” BUY MUSIC & MOVIES FROM iTUNES STORE “…… Give me a break will you APPLE!!!)
no FM radio,
can’t use your mp3 files as ringtones,(This is heights man!!!)
cannot insert any other SIM card….
completely tied to iTunes… Connect to your friend’s iTunes & you risk erasing everything on your phone.
list goes on & on & on….
We Indians are used to these features. Most of our phones already have these features. & we cannot do with out them…. i mean can you imagine paying so much for a phone with which you cannot transfer files via bluetooth. what age is this …STONE AGE???
Some features may be activated by jailbreak.. But why the hell should you risk losing your warranty after paying so much.
And want to add third party softwares??.. YOU HAVE TO BUY THEM FROM iTUNES STORE ONLY!!! . (Shell out more money). Apple is a bloody control freak. Dont surrender your freedom to it.
Its good for american market (who have no idea what mobile freedom/choice is) which is in stone age compared to asian/european markets. When they want to buy a phone, they have to go to network operators and buy only those phones that are available on that network. & stick to that company till their contract expires. You want to change carriers? Not before paying damages, & buying another phone on the other network again.
On the contrary, we in India have so much freedom. We go to handset shops & buy which ever phone we like. Then go to carriers.. checkout the plans & buy SIM.. Dont like the plan or rival carrier came up with a better plan???? EASY .. just remove & replace the SIM.
Apple are trying to IMPOSE THEIR MODEL ON US riding on the hype iPhone has created in the US (yes it was a flop in Europe ..thats why Apple never talks about its sales in Europe).
Dont fall for the subsidized price of iPhone… CHECKOUT THE DATA PLAN ATTACHED TO ITS SIM ..they will recover the cost through ridiculous data plans. Bill might come to around Rs 2500/month.(ATLEAST AMERICANS PAY THAT MUCH)
Let me clear one thing though.. iphone is the best looking phone (its touch interface is nothing like you have ever seen ), & best browsing experience out there no doubt …. (& others are fast catching up..check out the android demo at Google IO 2008)…. BUT AFTER A FEW DAYS IT ALL COMES DOWN TO FUNCTIONALITY…
Those of who buy it… You will be most happy for atmost a week… & then, MARK MY WORDS…YOU WILL START REGRETTING IT!!!
My advice…WAIT FOR HTC DREAM (powered by android), NOKIA N96 !! Or an ASUS Still not convinced by then…by all means go for iPhone…
So friends lets spread this info to all our friends and help them in making a wise decision….. & those of you who have bought unlocked versions already please share your experiences with others
- Posted by saurabh