In any case, the launch probably showcases some maturity in the Indian mobile market. Both airtel and Aircel are offering something the market calls reverse subsidy on the iPhone 4.
You can see the advertisements of Airtel announcing the iPhone 4 in Times Of India while Aircel announcing the iPhone 4 in Delhi time in below images.
In simple terms… unlike the US market where you get to buy the phone at a heavily discounted price with a two year long contract… here we have something similar but with a totally different twist.
You would be paying the full pricing of the phone which ranges between Rs. 35000 and Rs. 40000. The phone would be unlocked. And you can get discounts on your mobile bills for the next two years.
Airtel has the better offer where they are offering a maximum of Rs. 1000 discount that could save you Rs. 24000 over a period of two years.
But there are several problems with this model. First… you would be stuck with the same model for those 24 months… second… you would be stuck with the same service provider for those 2 years.
The packages on offer are not that great. Airtel is offering a 1000 rupee per month package with around 1300 MB data transfer. There are tons of free airtel to airtel calls but no free calls to other networks. You would still be paying a very high price for very little in return.
The end result is that if you really want to buy the official Indian version, it would be better to stick to your favorite service provider. Get the package that works for you instead of sticking with either airtel or Aircel.
You would be paying the full pricing of the phone which ranges between Rs. 35000 and Rs. 40000. The phone would be unlocked. And you can get discounts on your mobile bills for the next two years.
Airtel has the better offer where they are offering a maximum of Rs. 1000 discount that could save you Rs. 24000 over a period of two years.
But there are several problems with this model. First… you would be stuck with the same model for those 24 months… second… you would be stuck with the same service provider for those 2 years.
The packages on offer are not that great. Airtel is offering a 1000 rupee per month package with around 1300 MB data transfer. There are tons of free airtel to airtel calls but no free calls to other networks. You would still be paying a very high price for very little in return.
The end result is that if you really want to buy the official Indian version, it would be better to stick to your favorite service provider. Get the package that works for you instead of sticking with either airtel or Aircel.
If you have felt an iPhone in you hands I can bet, no other phone can give you the same feel.
ReplyDeleteI guess money is not a constrain for smart phone users in today's MNC world. I have owned iPhone 2G and 3Gs for 2 - 3 years and I can say that it was initially not designed for Indian users and definitely not for masses. Though is has been launched in India as per high demand. There is no comparison to it till date.
Indians would not find it value for money which is true and that's the reason it's not everyone phone. Definitely there are hundreds of reason not to own iPhone and I agree with it. Every second smart phone be it Samsung, LG, HTC, Nokia etc. is inspired by iPhone features today & still cannot match it.
The irony is 97% of Indian population would not know what is Apple so forget about iPhone.
Apple is a true innovative leader in gadgets and deserves to be the best and is religiously followed by others after invention of iPod, iPhone & iPad.
Buy whatever you pocket allows but do not find reasons not to buy an iPhone, cause is none !!!
@Neha... Thanx for writing wonderful review of iPhone 4!
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