http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/ Engadget Comments for iPhone 3G starting at $700 in India, lines to be nonexistent http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/Aug 20th 2008 1:22AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/Aug 20th 2008 1:22AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/Aug 20th 2008 3:31AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/Aug 20th 2008 5:10AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/Aug 20th 2008 8:58AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/Aug 20th 2008 9:15AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/Aug 20th 2008 1:23AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/Aug 20th 2008 1:32AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/Aug 20th 2008 1:59AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/
LMAO]]>Aug 20th 2008 2:08AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/Aug 20th 2008 4:12AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/Aug 20th 2008 1:28AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/Aug 20th 2008 2:10AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/
By the way, the concept of ipod is lost in India. Ipod stands for DAP and nobody seem to care that the original ipod is from a company
called Apple. The Apple brand recognition is almost close to zero apart from the techies who know what that company is.

Lot of people like their crackberries. They are waiting more for the crackberry bold than this thing.

But I do expect this thing to be sold like hot cakes back home. Like I said there is no limit to stupid people who will spend $700 on a
cell phone.]]>Aug 20th 2008 1:41AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/Aug 20th 2008 2:09AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/
There's a large upper-middle class who can afford the latest gadgets. Those guys will all consider an iPhone and not be put off by a $700 price tag. And there is the rich elite, the top 3% - they'll all have iPhones or the next super trendy phone in a heartbeat. One for each kid, etc.

To summarize, even if the average income in a country is very low, there's still a very healthy market for high end phones. That's true in Thailand and probably even more so in India which has 20x as many people. ]]>Aug 20th 2008 2:28AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/
]]>Aug 20th 2008 2:30AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/
everyone else in this thread is right, though, Adhavan. just so you know.]]>Aug 20th 2008 12:32PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/To buy the iPhone outright in Australia Optus want $749/849 for the 8/16GB]]>Aug 20th 2008 1:41AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/Aug 20th 2008 1:45AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/
No, it's not. You just pay those $700 or most likely even more over 2 years. It's like a loan. Do you go around telling yourself that cars cost $1000 because that's the down payment? Same with a phone.

The charges are just hidden away in the subsidy system. That's because the subsidy doubles as a carrier lock in so the carriers have no interest in offering unsubsidized calling plans - the calling plans if you bring your own phone are in most cases just as expensive as when using a subsidized set. In other words, they are grossly overpriced. There is a certain value attached to the lock-in alone but nowhere near the cost of the subsidy.

If you compare calling costs with other countries where there are no subsidies, you will find that calling rates are a whole lot cheaper in those countries. Because you are not paying back the subsidy. ]]>Aug 20th 2008 2:41AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/Aug 20th 2008 1:45AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/Aug 20th 2008 2:53AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/
Your car analogy breaks down because when you buy a car that is all you are buying. When you buy a phone you are also buying service for that phone. ]]>Aug 20th 2008 6:24AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/Aug 20th 2008 1:48AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/]]>Aug 20th 2008 2:51AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/
The negative that I see in this is that if the price is high, there is a good chance that the theft of iPhones will increase (especially if they're unlocked).]]>Aug 20th 2008 4:26AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/
http://www.iphone3g.globe.com.ph/i/i?id=2256650]]>Aug 20th 2008 1:56AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/
Funny thing is, with the average monthly salary for an office worker in the Philippines being P 20,000 ($ 460 US) you'd still see a lot of people buying them using credit cards with 0% interest over 12 months. All for show I think, for the most part. And it's not a good phone to text with to boot.]]>Aug 20th 2008 11:52AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/]]>Aug 20th 2008 1:56AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/Aug 20th 2008 4:14PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/Aug 20th 2008 2:38AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/Vodafone / Apple need to seriously get their nuts squeezed.]]>Aug 20th 2008 2:06AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/Aug 20th 2008 2:06AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/Aug 20th 2008 2:15AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/Aug 20th 2008 4:22AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/Aug 20th 2008 5:40AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/Aug 20th 2008 2:19AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/Aug 20th 2008 2:18AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/Aug 20th 2008 2:26AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/
“The iPhone 3G is available in 8GB and 16GB at Rs 31,000 and Rs 36,100 respectively. And as you have already pre-registered with us, you can get it before others do. All you need to do is drop in at a select Vodafone Store between August 20 and 21 and confirm your booking by paying Rs 10000 through cash or credit card. Don’t forget to show the iPhone booking SMS, which you would have received from us, when you visit the Vodafone Store to make the deposit.”

I was willing to pay upto 18k.

But, even at 31k, it will sell. People paid upto 40k when the n95 when it was launched last year. Which reminds me, the n96 was launched in India yesterday. They have started taking orders and it will be on the shelves in a few days. The prices haven't been announced, but it's expected to be around the 35k range.]]>Aug 20th 2008 2:32AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/http://iphone3g.mobistar.be/nl/iphone3g.cfm
So that is actually more than 700usd for the iPhone here.

But of course this must mean a hell a lot more in India given the economy/wages there.]]>Aug 20th 2008 2:38AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/Aug 20th 2008 6:25AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/I'm going to make this iPhone disappear... WHACK!]]>Aug 20th 2008 2:43AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/Aug 20th 2008 2:59AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/>there's not even a 3G highway up and running in India]]>Aug 20th 2008 2:47AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/
never mind, 3G does not work in iPhone anyway, by the time it works, India will have 3G]]>Aug 20th 2008 2:48AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/Anyway, there are lot of iphone fakes doing brisk business in India. So you can't even flaunt it, most of them will be mistaken as a cheap china phone.]]>Aug 20th 2008 3:58AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/Aug 20th 2008 8:20AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/20/iphone-3g-starting-at-700-in-india-lines-to-be-nonexistent/
It appears that the 3G iPhone does not come with a 3G chipset so they should be OK, Apple have promised to deliver one soon......:)]]>Aug 20th 2008 3:21AM