I am not crazy about cellphones. So when I was asked to cover the midnight launch of the Apple iPhone 3G in India, it didn’t really seem worth sacrificing my sleep.

I walked half-heartedly to the Vodafone store in nearby Connaught Place, hoping to see frenzied youngsters jostling for vantage position outside its shutters. I had read horror stories of people abroad queuing up 60 hours ahead of schedule for a chance to buy the iPhone first.

There was jostling all right, but only among photographers and journalists. There was not a customer in sight.

Till midnight, the media was cloistered inside the store in New Delhi listening to a live band and staring aimlessly at the wall.

At a minute past, the action started. The first buyer was handed the iPhone. He grinned and posed interminably for photos and the news channels. Then the second, third and fourth customer appeared in quick succession.

All of them didn’t mind paying 31,000 rupees ($712) for a phone including some features that don’t even work in India, because the country doesn’t support 3G services yet.

I step outside for a breath of fresh air. A stray dog saunters past — flummoxed by the hubbub no doubt. There are no curious onlookers nearby. Is India really aware the iPhone is out today? Do the majority of its people really care about the high-tech smartphone?

Maybe the outlet launching the iPhone in a Gurgaon mall has done better. Or maybe Indians aren’t really impressed by a phone when inflation is above 12 percent.

Either way, I need to catch up on my lost sleep. Here’s wishing the Apple iPhone 3G better luck over the weekend.