UPDATE: Our sleuth turned out to be wrong. Here’s the official price.
Our sleuth hiding in one of the Airtel offices has discovered something important which we all had been waiting for the past 2 weeks. In a short breath he spilled some juicy details on iPhone 3G pricing as well as on other things. The 8GB iPhone 3G will cost in a price bracket of Rs. 15,000 ($350) – Rs. 18,000 ($420) and 16GB will be close (mostly under) to Rs. 30,000 ($700). So let us please trash the previous pricing rumors. However, the contractual details are still unclear.
The iPhone 3G’s monthly rent will be under Rs. 1000 (~900). That’s expensive but worthy to give you one of the best browsing experience. Unlike normal Airtel users visiting Airtel Live!, iPhone users will have an exclusive portal. We just hope it’s not an optimized version of Airtel Live! though.
Lastly, on a marketing note, Airtel will pitch the 16GB more by luring people with some enticing offers. The 8GB does not get this benefit.
Ah – the joy of publishing unsubstantiated rumors! My sleuth who happened to hang out in Airtel’s Martian Regional Office (3g license still pending) found out that the 8GB model will actually be priced in the bracket of Rs. [1000..100,000] while surprisingly, the 16GB model will be priced in the bracket Rs. [500..75,000]. Asked to comment about the lower bracket ranges for the higher capacity model, Chief Airtel Martian Mr. 5 said “Earthlings stupid, we make fun.” He then turned green and left. The details of the monthly plan attached to each phone are still unknown but associate Chief Martian Mr. 7 has expressed in the past Airtel Mars’ interest in Oxygen and trinkets.
How did you get that ?Hope its not a rumour rather going with all this kinda rumours why don’t we wait till the official verdict.
Hope its not a rumour why don’t we wait for the final verdict rather going with all this kinda rumours
tis is not a rumour
ust got a mail from Vodafone that 8gb costs 31,000 and 16gb costs 36,100 and available on 22nd august..Vodafone asks the customers to book iphone by paying an advance of 10,000 in vodafone store and take an appontment..the remaining amount should be paid on the appointment date..Whom the hell is they are thinking apple and vodafone..???? the same mdel and piece is released with 199US $ and now came to india it was 750 US$ .what they are thinking indians as fools???
Srinu,
The iPhone’s cost of $199 in the US is when it comes bundled with a high priced plan. You will be paying more amount to AT&T or whoever it is so they can recover the rest of iPhone’s price. In India, a bundled plan is not viable. Remember the Rs.500 phone from Reliance. People just get the phone and escape without a trace. So well, they are not thinking Indians are fools (dont know if you belong in that group), but they certainly think Indians are one bunch of conniving crooks.
– Gopi
So not only do we have to pay the full price unlike US customers, we’re stuck with the phone working only on vodafone / airtel networks. full price and its still locked to a network – hell no. apple can go stick it