iPhone to hit stores on July 18 in India?

The impending launch of the iPhone in India has raised expectations of mobile phone users to unprecedented levels. While gadget enthusiasts are speculative that the price of the phone across the world will stay at a constant US $199 (which translates into Indian Rs 8,620), cellphone users in India have been gushing how the rock bottom price could only mean an iPhone for everyone.

The grey markets in the city are abuzz with customers enquiring about it. Salim Shah, a dealer at Burma Bazaar says, “Sources from Airtel have told me that iPhone is expected to hit the markets in less than 10 days and the tentative date of launch could be July 18.”

However, when asked about the price of the phone, another dealer Anoop Kumar said that customers could be in for a major surprise. He explains, “Most potential buyers of the iPhone are under the assumption that the phone would cost somewhere between Rs 8,000 and Rs 10,000 only. However, a Korean version of the Nokia N95 is priced at Rs 8,000 and it doesn’t even have a touchscreen or the bells and whistles that the Apple iPhone boasts of. The dealer adds, “Discarded iPhones are now being lapped up at Rs 14,000 to Rs 20,000.”

When contacted, the spokesperson from Airtel (one of the two service providers launching the iPhone in India) said that the company has not issued any official statement on the launch date or price as of now. Despite several attempts, Vodafone was unavailable for comment.