The iPhone 3G S India launch mystery
Ever since Apple launched the iPhone 3G S on June 19 ‘09, people in India (the world’s second largest mobile handset market) have been wondering about it’s launch here in India. However, Apple and the two authorized Indian carriers for the iPhone, Vodafone and Airtel, have maintained a tight-lipped silence on the matter.
Vodafone and Airtel are probably hoping that a quiet, unobtrusive entry into the market may be a better bet than the over-the-top iPhone 3G launch last year. Even though the launch had created a buzz, Vodafone and Airtel got slammed for pricing the iPhone 3G exorbitantly high. As a result, iPhone 3G sales were lukewarm at most. So much so that they had to introduce installment plans to induce people into buying.
Coming back to the iPhone 3G S launch, to be fair to Apple, a screenshot of one of it’s presentations, published by Gizmodo, showed that India was in the list of countries where the iPhone 3G S would be launched in August. However since the screenshot showed a calendar saying “Aug ‘09“, I think people mistakenly thought the India launch date was 09th August and rumours flew everywhere about a launch on Sunday 09th August. I suspected that this was just a rumour in a tweet on 5th Aug morning. Later that evening, there was a post at Fone Arena saying the launch would not happen on 09th August and it may in fact happen by the 3rd week of August.
Now, the 3rd week of August sounds like a much more likely time-frame for the iPhone 3G S launch in India. That’s because it would then be 12 months since the iPhone 3G was launched, so the carriers could then offer to unlock current customers’ iPhone 3G phones and sell new unlocked iPhone 3G phones at low prices (my guess is ~Rs.20000). This could help them price the iPhone 3G S at around Rs.31K-Rs.32K for the 16GB variant and Rs.38K-Rs.39K for the 32GB variant (please note though, that the prices may be slightly higher in Mumbai due to the recently hiked VAT. Thanks to Anupam Gupta who pointed this out via a tweet reply). So even if people are hesitant about the iPhone 3G S prices, the carriers would be able to offset any disappointments (in 3G S sales) by the increased iPhone 3G sales. And that is probably one of the reasons for not hyping up the 3G S prior to launch… so that it gets positioned as an evolutionary model than a revolutionary one, thereby ensuring its predecessor, the 3G, does not get downplayed a great deal.
Having said that, is the iPhone 3G S worth it? What does it offer over the iPhone 3G? Should you rather buy a iPhone 3G rather than spending almost double on the iPhone 3G S? Stay tuned for my post that looks at these aspects of the iPhone 3G S.
45 comments
Selling your twitter account. ? Rather too strongly, eh ?
Something in the post gave you that idea?
Dude..what are you talkin abt..iPhone 3GS brings video recording, mms function, double speed better camera.. n its not double the price..you are comparing iPhone 32 gb 3GS to iPhone 3G 8gb…thats not fair..
And iPhone 3G is still costing 30k all over India..dont make stupid assumptions opti-mystic
Dude… I am assuming you read the post and not just the last para. In that case you might've noticed that I have merely speculated about the launch pricing for 3GS and reduced pricing for 3G.
Of course the 3G is still selling at ~30K. That's because the 3GS has not been launched yet. Apple/Vodafone/Airtel will be getting themselves kicked in the groin if they do not reduce the prices for 3G once they launch 3GS.
As far as what 3GS brings to the table… I don't disagree with you. But, dude… camera has only been bumped up a megapixel to 3MP. The double speed that you are referring to is only available on 3G networks and Vodafone & Airtel do not have 3G yet. So let's not get unnecessarily excited just yet.
@Sameer – 3GS contains 1.5x proc. speed at 600 MHz and 2x Ram at 256 MB. That is why its touted as double faster than old 3G. Please check the Engadget review for more details. Also, the camera is dependent upon lens more than the MP count. Just search Youtube for N97 footage and compare it to 3GS footage. I would say that if you don't already own a 3G iPhone then the new 3GS is a non-brainer, as it is the best overall smartphone package, assuming that one has enough money to pay for it here!
@Boltress I agree with you on the specs including the camera. However having used the iPhone and the iPhone 3G extensively and having sampled the iPhone 3GS more than a couple of times, I do not see the benefit of marginal increase in speed when it comes to opening apps… especially for a regular joe user.
As far as still camera and video quality… if one feels 3MP with the best of lenses is good enough in 2009 when in fact we've had phones available with better lens and res in 2007, then it's a question of making a fairly significant compromise. I agree that most smartphones do not have brilliant cameras. But then most smartphones are targeted at business users whereas the iPhone is more of a lifestyle smartphone targeted at a demographic that would be interested in a better camera.
Finally my post is quite specific to India. We've seen last year how the iPhone 3G failed to set the cash registers ringing purely because of the price. Indian consumers are price conscious and so buying an iPhone 3G at a fairly reduced cost may seem like a good option for India, especially since OS 3.0 gives the iPhone 3G almost all the non-hardware specific features that the 3GS boasts of.
What to do in cas 3g gets down to 20K and 3gs starts at 31K-33K. Will it be a better deal to pay 11K extra for "S"
Made for interesting reading dude. Am gonna follow this site more often. Cheers.
well i think a big reason for the failure of iphone 3g was not only the fact that its priced over 30k, but the fact that apple comes out with a new iphone every year and india has no schemes for upgradation like the us.
So that means if i pay 35k this year for the iphone 3gs it is a high possibility that my 35k phone will no longer remain a sensation the next year in case apple come out with somethin like iphone 4g etc..
It would also mean i have to stick with my 3gs even though thers a better iphone in the market….unless m ready to pay 30k evry year!!!!!!
i think airtel n vodafone need to sort things out…
i agree with you jatin,,, the mail failure of iphone is its price tag…..and restriction to fixed mobile operator……we cannot switch to another mobile operator….the biggest drawback of iphone…
All said and done – its not Apple but the operators.
Even at 30k- 35k, if the operators would have bundled a one year unlimited data plan, people would have lapped it up.
Another interesting approach would have been minimum commitment plans – sell the iPhone at 20k and enforce an iPhone tariff plan ( mix voice, text and data usage) with a minimum monthly commitment of 2k. That way the operators can make money out of their service( and generate more selling VAS) instead of skimming the market at 36k.
I dont see why that wont work here….
But if the mentality is " i wont give you any serivce, but you still have to gimme your soul" … then i rather stick to something else.
PS: i like the effect when the reply is posted!
absolutely…i gues the carriers should at least allow us to upgrade to the latest iphone at a lesser cost…we're bein loyal to apple as well as the carrier…i think its time apple n airtel/vodafone take some serious steps or iphone 3gs will do worse than the 3g…
keepin my fingers crossed but i dont think they'r gona do nethin this time…
btw if ne1 comes to know nethin about the launch of 3gs PLEASE tell us!
i think they wont launch it in august…
mobiles are like cars here… we don't change one till we have quenched the last drop of juice from it… i am still comfortable with my nokia 1110 purchased around 4 years back… though i do need a smart phone… the TRAI has stopped from operators to use the 3mbps speed available with USB like phoyon plus and reliance on a mobile.. the hurdles are not operator specific but regulator are involved too… camera and MP in a phone is like having a TV with a toaster… i prefer a camera and mobile separate because i use it separately and any ways the clarity of my DSC H50 is much better than any phone with a camera..
but that is not the point u c
there r very very very few people nowdays(especialy youngsters) who would not want a gud camera wid the fone. y wud u wana cary a separate cam if the phone can give a decent photo?
the whole point lies in the fact that the iphone is mainly for those who want their fone to do evrythin 1 can imagine a fone doin(n even mre..i mean work as a remote!!)
so obviously with the advancin years, new technologies will come. so the phones will get better. but what about the ones who have already invested a huge sum in their fones?
they must get an upgrade shudnt they?
hi guys today i went to airtel relationship centre gurgaon and they told me that iphone might be launch on 1st week of sep or end of aug, coz they wana give iphone 3gs with 3g network which is still pending this is the reason lauch is deplayed…….they told me soon airtel will also start 3g network like mtnl and bsnl so that they can offer iphone 3gs with 3G connectivity……..
guys i guess vodafone is no longer selling the iphone?????
i had gone to a vodafone store 2day n dey said dey are no more selling iphone 3g n were advertising the blackberry storm insted…
n do u guys think it would be better to buy d 3g at a lower cost n den buy the next iphone wic will surely put away all the remainin probs like bluetooth transfer n a better camera?
So freaking sweet. Can’t wait to get my own!
today i went to vodafone store and they told me iphone 3g is no longer available in vodafone store and regarding iphone 3gs they still haven't no idea but told me to wait till end of aug or 1st week of sep for any new update……
I just spoke to Vodafone helpline at Bombay today. The person to whome I spoke has no information on the launch of 3gs in India. Some were saying that the phone would be launched on 22nd of August, some were saying the it will be launched around 20th of September. Any way, people who are waiting for the phone to arrive in India have no other choice but to keep waiting and guessing. I am now getting fedup with what is being dished out to the consumers. I feel forget the 3gs and get on with the other makes available .
The delay in launch of 3GS is mainly due to the stocks issue. As the demand for the phone is heavy all over the world the company is unable to cater to the demand. This information is from one article I read today. The link is given below,
According to this article now the launch can be any time between end August 2009 to October 2009. Not a very good news for the I phone lovers….
http://iphonehelp.in/2009/08/22/stock-issues-with-iphone-3gs-reason-for-delay-in-india-launch/
Can anyone please tell me if its safe to buy 3gs from the grey market ?
I feel that the launch of official phone may be delayed indefinately.
when is the 3gs finally gettin launched?? i hav heard so many different dates. please update early.i am desperate to get an iphone!!
It is Very Nice
It's look like Very nice
Technically looking at 32k iPhone in India is not that expensive compared to US ($199) with its 2 year Contract.
e.g.:
India:
iPhone – 32,000 (1time payment)
Monthly Bill – 800 (with Data) = 800 x 24 = 19,200
Monthly Bill – 200 (without Data) = 200 x 24 = 4,800
So, min. cost in 2 years = 32,000+4,800 = 36,800
And avg cost in 2 years = 32,000+19,200 = 51,200
Now Lets see how much an iPhone user in US pays in 2 years:
iPhone – $199 = Rs.10,000 (aprox)
MonthlyBill (min) = $70 = Rs. 3,500 -> 3,500×24 = Rs. 84,000
MonthlyBill (avg) = $130 = Rs. 6,500 -> 6,500×24 = Rs. 1,56,000
So, min. cost in 2 years = 10,000+84,000 = Rs. 94,000
And avg cost in 2 years = 10,000+1,56,000 = Rs.1,66,000
So, by looking at the above figures who says iPhone is costly in India. Rather its cheaper in India in long run. Also, any new high tech smart phone in market by Nokia and Palm cost no less than 30-35k so, i feel the pricing is just for iPhone. Its just that Vodafone and Airtel need to come up with some good data plan.
whats the problem with iphone?
Guys, the iphones 3G and 3GS are selling at crazy prices on this site http://www.bizegator.com . Just got mine from there, thought ill help fellow iphone fans
dude yu have gone mad 3gs is far better than 3g and with a low price
then go for it
Its 18th September still wondering when will iPhone 3GS launch in India?
i knw…its so sad…
Dear Indians,
The only reason iPhone 3GS has not launched in India (also Middle East) is that Apple has struck a deal with China telecom and its stock piling the iPhones so that they have enough for the Chinese launch. China is a BIG market and apple sees more money there than in India and Middle East.
Check Google news and you will find out that this October 18th, the iPhone 3G and 3GS will be officially launched in China. So Apple is being greedy (as usual) and decided to skip some markets just to make more cash. There you go, and people thought Microsoft was Evil. LOL.
At this rate its only gonna cum out in india next year..
Hi, to all the iPhone 3GS Lovers. My name is Maninder Kohli (9811394331) and providing you best news of so far on the availability of the iPhone 3GS phone in India. The iPhone 3GS Black Colour 16GB (Unlocked) in Box pack is available at a wholesale mobile store in New Delhi. The Price for this phone is 41,000/- (INR) Yesterday, I had visited the wholesaler shop and I would like to confirm you to all that this phone has been seen by me. One of the awesome phone that I have ever seen in my life. I also asked for the 32 GB Model, but the wholesaler denied that only the 16GB 3GS is only currently available with him.
If anybody want to purchase this phone, please visit the wholesaler’s shop. I have also visiting card for this shop with me. For your convenience, I am providing you the contact numbers and address for the shop:
Vaishno Electronics PVT. Ltd.
131, Municipal Market (MCD Market),
Karol Bagh, Gaffar Market, New Delhi – 110005
Contact Person: Manoj Kansal 9810956020
Sachin Mittal 9811259563
Shop: 011-25801768
I would like to assure you all that this phone is really available with the Vaishno Electronics PVT. Ltd.
I believe that the main reason for the delay in India is the bad performance by both Airtel and Vodafone in selling iPhone 3g..They still have a huge inventory lof the 40,000 or so pieces that they had initially ordered. They are trying to dump the same in other countries like Srilanka where they also operate (as proved by the article in Telegraph website). I think its either the telecom operators or Apple who is not willing to launch 3gs in India till the old inventory is sold.
When is iPhone 3g s cumin in india? Dyin to get 1…
I dont see any solid reasons why apple is not selling its iPhone 3GS in India…its a great phone with unmatched technology…to know more about iPhone 3GS and its lanch in india check this out………
http://www.techgodown.com/latest-iphone-3gs-to-be-launched-in-india/
The iphone 3GS has some really cool features which hav not been seen in any other phone…apple should provide 3GS in India asap….to know more about iPhone 3GS check this out…….
http://www.techgodown.com/latest-iphone-3gs-to-be...
Since the iPhone 3G S is not coming In India for couple of months. Should I buy the unlocked one? Is it safe? The price of the unlocked iPhone 3G S in India is around 41k. So is it a resonable price? Should I get that or wait for it?
It is october end now. iPhone 3GS is still not launced in India. Can I buy an unlocked 3GS from Dubai and use my Vodafone SIM card. Will there be any issues?
hey guys i have Iphone 3Gs – 16GB and 32GB both are Unlocked and jailbreak
price is : 16gb- 31000, 32GB – 37000
if any 1 is interested they can mail it to me on my id
cooldude_ayush02@hotmail.com
I walked into the apple store in chennai and they said that the iphone3GS will be release in india through Airtel and Vodafone by the end of March`2010…lets` wait and watch..
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