iPhone: Price hike in India due to lack of subsidy (India)Most operators selling the iPhone worldwide subsidise the gadget but in India the story is different. Airtel and Vodafone, the two operators who will selling the iphone in india will not be in a position to subsidise the iphone due to the fear of unlocking and likely flooding of counterfeit iPhones in the market.
As its well known that the latest 8-GB iPhone (Version 2.0) is being sold at $199 (Rs 8,000) and the 16-GB priced at $299 (Rs 11,960) by AT&T in the US,however this is not the scenario in India.The phone is given free by O2 in the UK, while T-Mobile prices it at a meagre 1 euro (Rs 67.92) in Germany. The 8-gb version of the gizmo is likely to be priced between Rs 16,000 and 18,000, while the 16-gb would cost around Rs 24,000 to Rs 28,000 in the country.This
price hike doen’t end here.It’s likely that the prices in india would also be higher by around $25-30 (Rs 1,000-1,200) as companies are expected to levy handling and other charges.
The secret behind the cheap pricing of handsets by AT&T, O2 and T-Mobile is that they are bundling iPhones with their services.This is not all as they have
accepted the fact that they are subsidising but its extent is not known.
As for Airtel and Vodafone, they are unlikely to subsidise them as bundling is not a “successful formula” in the country and penalty clauses are not strictly adhered to leading to lengthy court battles.Industry Sources have said that without subsides the iPhone would cost around $400, double the price offered by AT&T in the US.Bharti Airtel spokesperson said: “We have plans of bringing in the iPhone before the close of the year, though a specific launch date is yet to be announced. It is too premature to comment on pricing details.”
While Vodafone-Essar did not respond to queries, an Apple spokesperson based out of Singapore said: “Apple does not comment on speculation.”
It seems that the recent inflation in India has hit every aspect of our lives, even the most awaited iPhone.
