Vodafone responds swiftly, but modestly, to iPhone 3G pricing silliness in India
If there's one way to throw a wet blanket on an iPhone launch, it's by pricing the bad boy right out of reach for an overwhelming majority of the locale's denizens. That's pretty much what went down in India, where Vodafone and Airtel kicked off iPhone 3G sales at a numbing Rs 31,000 for the 8GB model -- something like $715 -- thanks in no small part to the fact that the phones are unsubsidized. Perhaps sensing a launch fervor yesterday that wasn't quite living up to expectations, Voda was quick to act by dropping prices by Rs 2,000 (about $46) across the board. Is it enough to ignite iPhone fever down there? The cut doesn't seem deep enough to make much of a difference at the register, but maybe -- just maybe -- Voda's marketing wizards know something we don't.
