Now this is really unexpected ! The next Generation 3G enabled Iphone is going to cost you…hold your breath…$199 or mere INR 8400/- . Now that is a real news.
Last month I had written about Apple Iphone officially coming to India through 2 Indian mobile operators. Rumours were rife that Iphone in India (without 3g) will be introduced in India for a price point above 25000/-. I got quite a few comments stating that Apple is using India as a dumping phone for their first generation phones.
Jury is still out on whether this version of the Iphone will come to India or not. But rumours have it that Bharti will be introducing this phone in the market later this year.
Whether or not it gets launched in India, IPhone lovers can surely get their hands on these not-so-pricey phones through grey market for around 10,000 rupees within days from its launch in U.S. The new IPhone, looks very similar to the old one but has a glossy black or white plastic in place of a metal back cover.
Even though this next generation IPhone has much lower price point, it has host of mouth watering features built into it.
The best part is that new Iphone runs on third-generation (3G) wireless networks and loads Internet pages nearly 3 times faster than its previous avatar. The Iphone has much improved email features too.
The new Iphone also includes satellite navigation capability and comes with a inbuilt 8GB memory, which I think is more than sufficient to most of us.
A new service, “MobileMe,” will automatically send e-mail and other information to iPhones, similar to Microsoft Corp’s Exchange e-mail server product. The pay service will replace Apple’s .Mac service and offer Web applications intended to make the phone work more like a desktop computer. (source)
You MUST look at this video to get an idea of new features that IPHONE 3G has introduced…Mouth Watering
It will not be long before we see an IPhone in the hands of every 2nd or 3rd urban mobile user.
The new Iphone sure seems to be a big threat to its competitors…!
![[del.icio.us]](http://trak.in/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/delicious.png "Woof...Third generation IPhone for Rs. 8400/ trends")
![[Digg]](http://trak.in/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/digg.png "Woof...Third generation IPhone for Rs. 8400/ trends")
![[Facebook]](http://trak.in/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/facebook.png "Woof...Third generation IPhone for Rs. 8400/ trends")
![[Google]](http://trak.in/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/google.png "Woof...Third generation IPhone for Rs. 8400/ trends")
![[LinkedIn]](http://trak.in/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/linkedin.png "Woof...Third generation IPhone for Rs. 8400/ trends")
![[StumbleUpon]](http://trak.in/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/stumbleupon.png "Woof...Third generation IPhone for Rs. 8400/ trends")
![[Twitter]](http://trak.in/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/twitter.png "Woof...Third generation IPhone for Rs. 8400/ trends")
![[Yahoo!]](http://trak.in/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/yahoo.png "Woof...Third generation IPhone for Rs. 8400/ trends")
![[Email]](http://trak.in/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/email.png "Woof...Third generation IPhone for Rs. 8400/ trends")
Author: Arun Prabhudesai
Arun Prabhudesai is founder / chief editor at trak.in. He jumped the Entrepreneurship bandwagon in early 2008 after a long 13 year stint in I.T Industry. You can follow him on twitter @trakin or get in touch with him at admin-at-trak-dot-in or 91.9822575676.Related posts:
- Iphone officially coming to India with Vodafone, but at a steep price tag
- Iphone only a fortnight away – Indian Mobile users can buy Iphone through Airtel starting August 22nd
- The second coming of iPhone – iPhone 3G S. Will it stick?
- Vodafone to sell 3g Iphone in India soon !
- Top 7 reasons why Apple Iphone is a big flop in India
- Microsoft Pink is a touch screen phone and possibly a iPhone beater
- Iphone at Rs. 31000 in India ! Wonder who will buy ?
- 3g Iphone to cost 16000 to 18000 in India
- iPhone is the most popular phone in US: Nokia doesn’t even figure in top 10
- Is N96 Nokia’s response to Apple Iphone?
{ 4 trackbacks }
{ 73 comments… read them below or add one }
Its not the 3rd-generation iPhone, but a 2nd-generation iPhone that works on 3G mobile data networks… The new iPhone works on UMTS/HSDPA (none found in Indian mobile operators) and has GPS (way to costly in India)… But yes, now its the killer mobile device because of the price… and thats not an India price that you mention!!
Be prepared to pay 25k or more for the older phones while US enjoys the $199 3g iphone. I’m not sure how you arrived at the Rs.8400/= since the new model is not coming to india anytime soon.
Also, the $199 price tag is only if you sign a two year contract with AT&T, the provider. 3G is not an option because the spectrum is not even open in India, we still operate in 900Mhz.
iPhone if introduced in India will be the first gen (without 3G) and will be overpriced.
Can we buy the phone in US and use it in India, by changing the SIMM card? Please let me know what the grey market means.
u need to unlook the phone first.
grey market means smagling from other country (from the black market).
never go for grey market.
simple go and bye the mobile from the shop which is good for u
grey market mai log bahut bevkuff baana te hai.
What was Steve jobs thinking when he introduced iphone 2.0 day before yesterday?
For a person using Iphone in India for a long time this update means nothing nothing at all.
1) App store — I already have Installer
2) 3G — The speculation of 3G being launched in India has been going on from 2003 ( 5 years and still no 3G)
3) GPS — sure how many time have you got lost ? In India if you get lost, you ask the nearest man where to go and he will tell you. At some level iphone already had a locationing service in iphon 1.0
Also you need GPRS active for that — which is very very costly.. vodafone has a 899 unlimited plan. I don’t know about Airtel. Don’t even think about a non unlimited plan if you are planning to use gps you will be shelling out more than 899.
4) Exchange server — I don’t want to be connected to office 24×7. Get a life utside office.. also will your company IT team let you use one ?? big big ?
so what is there in the new version that there was not there in 1.0 ?
ya price 199$+ taxes hmmm but us price are different with subsidies and cheap electronics price
it will still be around 15K – 18K not 9K+2K taxes = 11K
I’m disappointed :( probably was expecting too much from apple.
which is the bst option of phone in the range of 12000-14000 according to u?
Demesne,
You are right. There’s nothing useful for the indian market. Not sure why the indians are so excited about this!
@Saptarshi,
My bad, it is a 2nd generation phone, I posted this post late yesterday after a long day’s work…so you can attribute it to my slip of tongue…urrr…slip of keyboard strokes :)..offcourse it is 2nd generation and just to make it clear 3G Iphone DOES NOT stand for 3rd Generation IPhone (It is 3G wireless network) :)
@Muthu, I am aware that officially as of now we are still going to get older IPhone for approx 25k, but my point is who is going to buy them at that price point. The grey market will be filled with these Iphones more a premium of 20% to 30%. As far as Rs. 8400/- goes, it is mere conversion of 199 USD into rupees @42 rupees per dollar.
PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT I have not said this Iphone is going to be launched in India. Having said that, I urge to look at the video of Steve Jobs announcing this phone. It is going to be launched in majority of global markets and I’d be surprised if India is not on their list given the 2nd biggest mobile market in the world.
Steve jobs also mentions that in every market the Iphone will be priced at $199 !!!!
@Demense, you are absolutely right that features like 3G and GPS are not useful in India. But it will be too naive to think that India will not see these features introduced soon !
Again, please see the keynote speech by Steve Jobs and come to a conclusion !
Arun,
India is NOT in the list. Did you look at the video? There’s some 22 countries listed and I don’t see India in there. And Steve Jobs says its released all round the world!
Apple is ridiculous in their marketing claim. India can be the 2nd largest mobile market in the world, but as for as SJ and Apple are concerned India is non existent.
I would have agreed with your dollar to rupee conversion if iphone is indeed release in India for that price. But sadly its not.
If we buy the phone in US and use it in India, by changing the SIMM card…Is it possible…i am already using iphone…soo i am planning to sell it as new iphone is coming…i wanna buy new iphone
With all the discussion, you have to realize that 3G not being in India is not Apple’s problem, but its the stupidity of the Indian government… They started the 3G auction discussions when people are moving towards 4G services…
Regardless of Indian consumers, the iPhone 2 brings better battery life, more RAM, better speakers… And Steve Jobs realized early in his life that India is a spend-thrift country as a whole… The 2nd largest mobile market doesn’t have lots of smartphone users!!
The stupidity of the indian government doesn’t stop SJ to release iphone for $199. But as you said why would he when the indian consumers are clueless and are willing to pay more anyways.
SJ & Apple take consumers for a ride, which is a known fact by just looking at the price cuts they did for the iphone 1.0 and the subsequent $100 rebate that happened because the US consumers were so mad.
will new iphone work in India or not if we buy from u.s??
will new iphone work in India or not if we buy from u.s??
when it is going to release in india.i don’t hope so that the iphone lunching (11th july 2008) in india because i have seen that list of countries they are not mentioned india
i want 3g but i need a confirmation when it is lunching in indian markets. i don’t think so 3g are avilable at the Rate of 8400/-.
@Arun Oh I forgot to check this place out.. have been busy … I wrote that comment after downloading the 1.2 GB keynote by Jobs(it took one full night) and then feeling apple left out a lot of things people were cribbing about.. prove me wrong was it not that Jobs said most of the countries while talking about price( rest will be countries like india where its not tied with one carrier). Also I did not mean that GPRS/3G are bad but the current state is pathetic even though I have been using the 899 unlimited GPRS active on my iphone. All I said that the 3G spectrum issue has been in news for 3 years and the 3G issue on the whole for 5 years or more.
You better see this 60 sec video which summarise the whole keynote.
http://www.viddler.com/explore/mahalodaily/videos/38/
P.S. – Your article was a nice one but I was pissed at apple for updating nothing from what I have with my jailbroken/unlocked/activated iPhone. And for people saying it has better ram and what not… look into the specs and you will see just 3G and A-GPS chipset as additional entities and the rest remains the same.
More over our babus in the govt. are not that iphone craze that they will hurry up the spectrum issue, which has been lying in the cold for 3 years now, just because iphone is launching in India in Sept. :D
i want some more information about this mobile.
This is very bad to know that the 3G services are not in the new generation phones and to your information apple has written in one of its issues that INDIA will be the DUMPING GROUND for these phones. I also read that only first generation phones will be coming to india and they will be over priced.
I am not sure, but i think this 3G phone will work for GSM networks. Can anybody confirm this? Many of my friends are planning to buy it from USA and later on get it unlocked and then use it in India. Is it going to work?If 3G is not going to work in India Apple will never launch such product in Indian market.
hey im planin 2 buy a new fone , should i wait for i phone 2 b launched in india or go on wid ny of the other stuff , plz help me i dnt wnt 2 repent aftr i bot ny of the fone
can iphone3g work in india? if we buy it from us?
please confirm…..
which network will it be ensured with airtel or vodafone
& wont the cost go hogher frm rs8400+taxes
@Arun, author
As a long time user of apple products including iPhone, I have one question to you guys?
just because you saw an ad saying $199, how could you jump into the conclusion that iPhone will be launched in India at 8400 rs. Is it because you missed the fine print or you wanted to use this stupid rumor to draw in visitors, just the way our news channels do?
i think yesterday, the plan rates for iphone 2.0 was released by AT &T. you need to have a contract of 2 years with a minimum plan of $ 70 (incl of voice data n text) for being eligible for iphone at $199. you may do the conversion and let everybody here know what is the catch. else you are seriously damaging the reputation of your blog.
Contract based sales failed in India many times, be it reliance 500RS or vodafone magic box or blackberry from both hutch n airtel. In US, Blackberry is available literally free for any one who takes up a contract of just one year with data plan for blackberry connect. At that time, when blackberry came to india, why didnt you write: RIM gives blackberry free to everyone in India???
this blackberry which is available literally free in US, comes with vodafone and airtel with a sticker of 20000+ and monthly plan of 800 rs
$199 is a subsidised price that AT&T offers, it doesnt mean apple sells it for $199. Cost of acquiring a customer whose monthly bill is above $50 is around $300 to $500 (cost involved in ad, marketing, dealer margin etc).
Instead of spending on the above, they give handsets at free /subsidized rates to new customers. Apple still would be making $500 to $600 per fone. The new plan rates also talks about a non contract fone that is priced at $599
Cost of aquiring a customer is very less in india, as india is a very fast growing market. contracts were never sucessfull. reliance burned their fingers in 500 scheme, just that the ingenious ambani worked the best of the situation by not going behind defaulters, just made them his long term customers!
iPhone will appeal only to people on the higher income who and yongsters who appreciate design excellence and willing to pay for quality. you will need a pc to put songs, sync ur contacts or even to put pics.
one can jailbreak and add apps for sending songs pic etc. but howmany of the actual buyers would do that? only a few tech savy and risk takers.
you can expect iphone comming from vodafone and airtel with plans similar to their blackberry. handset will be around 21k with additional 2000rs for apple care. monthly plans would around 800 pm with unlimited edge
if ever it comes on contract, at 8400, then monthly bill will be anytime around 2k. but its highly unlikely. as iphone isnt a mass market device that suits india, its not a nokia 1100.
why do you think iphone is only offered as a package by an exclusive provider per country? its because, if this fone is sold as a retail pack at $600 (ver2), it cannot gain the volumes it has now generated and give returns on the huge investment apple did in creating that finger tap interface. non of the exsisting manufactures was sucessfull in coming with a product that can challenge iphone on user interface and experience, even after 1 year of iphone launch.
Do you think, apple, which sells a ipod touch at 20k or an ipod classic 160 at 16k, a nano at 6k+ will offer iphone at 8400? have you guys lost it? Apple was never a mass market player like Dell or Nokia in mobiles.
@Muthu
Now on dumping iPhone ver 1 in India, my understanding is that the ver 1.0 was stopped from assembly lines way back in may. the outer casing manufacturer confirms that they hvnt made silver backsides since apr.
India will get ver 2 like all countries because
1. The chances of dumping is highly unlikely
2. ver 1.0 production was stopped way back
3. if any remaing unsold iphones ver 1 will be shipped back or reach hongkong grey
4. economics of scale of electonics manufacturing doesnt make manufacturing 2 models of the same hardware viable or profitable. Eg: your latest SE or nokia fones are all 3 g compliant, while india is waiting for 3g. nokias one of biggest market is india, they havnt manufactured non 3 g fones for india!
the iphone is worth a buy, worth every penny, if you are into watching movies, or heavy user of internet. iphone has a hardware graphic accelerator that allows u to watch movies @ 740 X 480 pixels ( DVD ) smoothly. you will love the way orkut or facebook opens in iphone. the custom sites by almost all internet companies incl google yahoo facebook msn for iphone makes you feel exclusive. I daily see the frown many of my collegues and friends have looking at their N95, htc and p1’s after watching a movie on iphone or surfing internet with iphone.
@demense
the only weak point i have for this device is its speaker volumes are not enough for the noisy environment we have in India.just like blackberry, this too has a very muted ring tone and u will nevr come to know, if you are outside in traffic.
i heard that iphone which is going to b released is 0f around rs.8400 and the phone is of 16gb memory. The release is on 14th of july. How far it is true? If not the give me detailed information on this.
Guys dont expect iphone in india for US$199. Bcoz this is INDIA…. Surely it will comes around 20 to 25 k.
@Aron :D
You share the same problem as me :D .. I never get up in time when I set alarm in my iphone. :D
I hope the new version is not that bad( rumours are that it has improved volume)
@ all
Please stop speculating the price its no good use :)
But if its 8900/- it will be attached with some 1600/- monthly rental
i would like to know when this phone will be launched in which month
i want i phone
but
what is the price of apple iphone
plz give me details of iphone accesories
and in which city i purchase iphone
when can i get iphone 3g in the grey market n what prie would it be????
Iphone 3g in India will not come until Sept 2008. The govt is still trying to get 3g spectrum allocation going. Ipone will come to the two exclusive carriers but only on contractual basis. From what I hear the prices are going to be above 20k.
i am intensely impressed for the features of i phone. but i am in a great dilemma that how is it possible for such a super featured phone for such low price. please let me know when will it be released in india. is there any advance bookings
@archit chopra
no it cnt be used actually i was planning to do tht but…
steve job is nt a crazy man who will launch its iphone in india only of 8-10,000 bt definately when he launch it here its cost us around 20,000-25,000 ….and second things is that steve job definately seeing indian market as a dumping area for their initially launched iphones..
bt steve job should understand this clealy that indian are more price concious than any other consumer of any country..
so if they launch it with a price tag of more than 10k then it will be a BIG FLOP in INDIA….
and if they are going to launch old phones like thinking that indian market will a place where they
I phone will be definately launched before september . Diwali , Id , Christmas in India . All festival will help to sell the phone, lets see the pricing strategy and if the Hype created is sustained.
if its tru ! so from where i can get it in india ?
never sell it for 8400 rs apple will loose its brand image Which was created for so many years .. all my electronic items are apple and if it happens i will stop using apple
i want to buy iphone please tell me from where i can buy it, i live in delhi.please tell me about contract with AT&T of 2years.
Let me know whether WiFi will be available in cracked version of iphone?
upgraded to version 2.0 & it works like charm. though i miss the apps i had on 1.1.4 but still the quality of apps is much better and elegant :) for those waiting for 3g iphone to launch .. it will be launched sometime in aug/sept definitely before diwali/id because that is the best time to launch. and it will be iphone 3g not the old version because keeping 2 different versions will not give the price advantage of bulk to apple.and it will be around 15-16K * all details are my marketing intuition
Hi,
I’m planning to buy from US, get unlocked and make use here. Can anyone tell me that, after unlocking can i use it with GSM network in india? I want to use iphone only for making calls, sending SMS and listening music n videos. I’m not bothered abt working of GPS and other advanced Value added services which are very costly here.
hi! anybody has the latest news on the 3giphone official launch in india.but i still think its value cannot be at 8 k,because the politicans of our country will impose heavy tax on it and they will charge a hefty amount making the cost of the phone around 20-25k.if the phone is sold at rs 8400 then it will be great for us.let’s just wait and hope for the best!
the new iphone 3g is available in all grey markets for a mere price of 12k…
at karol bagh ajmal khan road
& in chennai at the last local stn in the city
The iPohne won’t be priced at $199 ever in India……………….
It will be around Rs. 20,000/-. Well, we can get it easily by grey, one of my friends recently bought it!!
i want 2 info about new less prize iphone…..
when it will come in india……
also what r d defects ….
give more info in deep
thanking u…..
i want 2 know info about this low prize iphone……..
can i’ll know d demerrits as well as advantages of it…..
give me info in deep……….(for example…memory status,network,camera,etc…..)
Dont know if someone pointed it out, but dude u got it wrong, $199 price is a bundled offer by ATnT where you have to buy a new ATnT connection for your iPhone; since with iPhone 3G, Apple is puttin all the efforts to stop grey market sell out, that’s excatly the reason why you dont see iPhone in online Apple Store too.
Can we buy the phone from singapore and use it in India, by changing the SIM card?
The I-Phone 3G priced at Rs.15000 in India
hi,
tum log chutia kyo bana rahe ho agar iphone 8400 me aa raha hai to rikshewale bhi navigation ke through riksha chalayenge.
Are bhai log, yes samanth kaa idea hai.
kindly revert back what is actual price of iphone launced in india and current amount of the same in usa
my comment about iphone at what cost will be launched in india becoz some people says it will cost Rs8,400/- and some people it will be launced atcost 31,000Rs. At what price it really rates?
how much iphnoe is gonna cost in india when vodaphone is going to launch on 22 aug
The i phone is launched in india with the following price tag:- 8Gb model is Rs.31000 and for 16 GB model is Rs.36000.
8GB model is Rs. 31000/- & 16GB model is Rs. 36100/-. it is confirm price.
Hey!! I heard some one asking us about purchasing the iphone from the US market and use it over here?
U gatta be kidding me!!!
Well ! if some one would like iphone so much then i have a NEWS:
Aug/22/08; iphone is launched in India by airtel and vodafone for about Rs 31,000/.
On the top of it, unlocking is neither easy nor very cheap.
They would charge you a lot for unlocking the SIM, But yes, once you get it unlocked, the phone is as free as a bird would be in an open air.
I also expect an extreme deflation in the price point in what they have quoted, perhaps to give it an extensive start exactly like Blackberry and also it is no where near to what we saw in the video of Steve Jobs. So, its rather better to wait for some time more crossing fingers.
Any disfavor in apple iphone 3G? If any there anyone will be post the message……………………
****OVERPRICED PHONES WITH MINIMAL FEATURES****
This is a very old apple trick. They launched the iphone at $500 in the USA, and got the rich and famous to buy it and then slashed the prices once they got the money of the riches. Then by slashing the price they targeted the not-so-rich (the bigger market) and then compensated the ones who paid more by giving them Apple gift vouchers so that they buy something else again from apple for that amount by spending more money in buying something that they don’t even need.
I expect in India in the next six months, the prices will be slashed along with some bundled plans with Airtel or Vodafone (Postpaid plans with monthly rental of at least 1000) with 2 year-3 year contract. They will ensure u go for ECS or post-dates cheques to ensure u don’t cancel it later. This will happen eventually and then more people will buy and apple continues to be richer and richer… and then will come APPLE 3G V2.0 with stereo bluetooth support, video recording, copy/paste, 3.2-5 mp camera, sms forwarding and MMS and more that are currently missing…
Those features are missing because it was deliberate. I am founds 100s of users in USA who bought iphone 1st gen and then the 3g also when it cam out. Apple has left a lot of scope for improvement so that they get repeat buyers. If all the features are provided now, what will remain to improve that will appeal to the public to buy the new version… Think again.
Can any body tell me if I buy the iphone in USA can it be used in Inidia?How do we unlock the SIM.Whom to contact regarding this?
Hi everyone
iphone is best phone if i do compare to other phones,iphone has a lot of features,it seems to be a good multimedia device, as
it has great features and the user interface, and very easy to use for voice, sms and internet. and
iphone has a great internet device to user experience for browsing, default youtube client on the home screen, apps store.and
also advantage to music experience with iconic iPod.
So, as a whole if somebody who is targeting for this budget, it does not seem high when you buy a product from Apple.
Thanks
Rajesh
yaaaa….iphone the best phone i seen…..the phone is very smart and beautiful…i love iphone soo much i dont want to tell…iphone is totally rocks!!!!!
Hi,
I was going through the posts on iphone 3g in singapore where apparently it is sold in the unlocked status. This is confirmed from the website of apple. http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1937 . Basically, one has to buy a singtel connection, but can use other network carrier’s simcards also (like M1 & Starhub).
I wanted to know if such a phone can be bought in india and used with any network in india without unlocking. Also is there a check on itunes software website which would preclude ppl from doing so? Has anyone bought an “unlocked” phone from a place like singapore / australia and tried it out here in india. Would appreciate your response to the queries.
Thanks
Venky
This is very bad to know that the 3G services are not in the new generation phones and to your information apple has written in one of its issues that INDIA will be the DUMPING GROUND for these phones. I also read that only first generation phones will be coming to india and they will be over priced.
iphone is very nice phone but in india the cost is very high range, can i purchess iphone in india in 199$ IN US COURANCE in india the all most cost around 10,000/- ruppe.please guide me how can i purchess the iphone. peply thanks
it true that apple launch his iphone in $199 cost only ,or there is any hidden charge . i am from orissa and i want to buy this apple 3gs. please give me the information that what is it’s actual price in india when it launch in india.
can we use the iphone which we going to get frm uk….. wil tht works in Indian networks………
Dude…8 GB i-Touch costs 14K in india. it is same price as iPhone 3G. So in india iPhone 3G should be more than 14K. Better choose NOKIA.
iphone……well i hv a very bad expeirence with it as my iphone HANGS UP very often then i wait till the battery drains out completely…than i charge the iphone.. so it operates….so just dont know to go fr new iphone 3G s?
any news on iPhone 3GS launch in India or its pricing detail…the iPhone 3GS is the latest offering from apple iPhone,it much faster then iPhone 3G ,i have seen news about its launch in india…. here
http://www.techgodown.com/latest-iphone-3gs-to-...