NEW DELHI: Amid much fanfare and media glare, Apple Inc.’s iconic touch-screen iPhone made its debut in India at the stroke of the midnight hour on Thursday. Top executives of mobile operators Airtel and Vodafone Essar which have exclusive tie-up with Apple, handed over the smartphone to their first few customers in Delhi, Mumbai and other metros.
While Airtel held a small function at an upmarket mall in neighbouring Gurgaon, Vodafone chose its exclusive outlet in Connaught Place.
“I have been waiting for this moment since Apple announced the launch of iPhone in India last month. I love using latest gadgets and iPhone fits perfectly in my collection,” said Delhi-based businessman Aditya Malik, who was among the first four Vodafone customers to get the smartphone.
Asked about the steep price of iPhone, that comes for Rs. 31,000 (8 GB model) and Rs. 36,100 (16 GB), Mr. Malik said: “A good brand always comes for a price”. He is also excited about using the phone when he travels abroad to nations offering third generation (3G) mobile services.
“I am going abroad where I will be able to make maximum use of this 3G-enabled phone.
“I hope to make most of the 3G service soon when it is launched in India.”
Another lucky iPhone owner is Rudra Khurana, a 14-year-old Modern School student in Delhi, who got the smartphone from his father as a gift. “I want to show this to my friends in school. Besides being a status symbol, this phone is a perfect entertainment tool where I can listen to songs, watch movies, play games and click pictures.”
On Friday, a large number of people, who had done pre-booking for the iPhones with Airtel and Vodafone, were seen visiting there stores in Delhi and other metros and other 50-odd major towns where the gadget is now available.
With mobile operators announcing various schemes to finance this smartphone, the number of iPhone seekers is only getting to grow everyday.
However, selling iPhone in the price-sensitive Indian market would not be a cakewalk for Apple or for the two mobile operators. According a telecom analyst, iPhone’s high price and some technical deficiencies like low megapixel camera, GPS facility sans voice navigation, no SMS forward option, no external memory option and poor Bluetooth feature could hamper iPhone’s sales.
Moreover, the phone is operator-locked which means an iPhone owner cannot change operator despite paying such a high price.
“Apple would have to push hard to sell its touch-screen phone in India, particularly when other competitors, including market leader Nokia, all set to launch smartphones priced lower than iPhone and that too with some additional features,” the telecom analyst added.
While Airtel held a small function at an upmarket mall in neighbouring Gurgaon, Vodafone chose its exclusive outlet in Connaught Place.
“I have been waiting for this moment since Apple announced the launch of iPhone in India last month. I love using latest gadgets and iPhone fits perfectly in my collection,” said Delhi-based businessman Aditya Malik, who was among the first four Vodafone customers to get the smartphone.
Asked about the steep price of iPhone, that comes for Rs. 31,000 (8 GB model) and Rs. 36,100 (16 GB), Mr. Malik said: “A good brand always comes for a price”. He is also excited about using the phone when he travels abroad to nations offering third generation (3G) mobile services.
“I am going abroad where I will be able to make maximum use of this 3G-enabled phone.
“I hope to make most of the 3G service soon when it is launched in India.”
Another lucky iPhone owner is Rudra Khurana, a 14-year-old Modern School student in Delhi, who got the smartphone from his father as a gift. “I want to show this to my friends in school. Besides being a status symbol, this phone is a perfect entertainment tool where I can listen to songs, watch movies, play games and click pictures.”
On Friday, a large number of people, who had done pre-booking for the iPhones with Airtel and Vodafone, were seen visiting there stores in Delhi and other metros and other 50-odd major towns where the gadget is now available.
With mobile operators announcing various schemes to finance this smartphone, the number of iPhone seekers is only getting to grow everyday.
However, selling iPhone in the price-sensitive Indian market would not be a cakewalk for Apple or for the two mobile operators. According a telecom analyst, iPhone’s high price and some technical deficiencies like low megapixel camera, GPS facility sans voice navigation, no SMS forward option, no external memory option and poor Bluetooth feature could hamper iPhone’s sales.
Moreover, the phone is operator-locked which means an iPhone owner cannot change operator despite paying such a high price.
“Apple would have to push hard to sell its touch-screen phone in India, particularly when other competitors, including market leader Nokia, all set to launch smartphones priced lower than iPhone and that too with some additional features,” the telecom analyst added.
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