I want my iPhone 3GS, iDay has gone by and still no sign of India launch
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Well personally I’m very disappointed with Apple for not bringing the iPhone 3GS to India even on Independence day. Looks like Apple is not very happy to bring the iPhone 3GS to India. Just looking at the enthusiasm of wannabe 3GS users , the iPhone is certainly the object of desire of many consumers even though its expensive. The phone is already doing well in the grey market with shops reportedly selling atleast 1 phone daily in Chennai and Mumbai.
In the meanwhile chk out our Apple iPhone 3GS Review – First on FoneArena
So the million dollar question – Why is the iPhone 3GS not in India still ?
Going back in time I wrote this post 10 Reasons why the Apple iPhone wont hit india back in June 2007 . The first gen phone never made it . Even the 3G seemed unlikely but luckily the iPhone 3G hit India in late 2008. It was one of the worst selling phones in India as most iphone fan boys were either still happily using the first gen iphone or had gone to some other phone brand.
Even today some of the reasons I pointed out back then still seem to hold good for the delay in the launch of the iPhone 3GS India.
- Operator Revenue Sharing wont work in India
- Locked Handset model wont work in India
Abhimanyu of ET has penned down his conspiracy theories on why the iPhone 3GS hasn’t hit India yet. From his observations it looks like Apple does not have the capacity to handle the Indian Market as Apple India’s Country Manager, Alok Sharma has quit and also took 6 other managers have quit along with him. Apple India is in turmoil according to DataQuest
Alan Hely, Apple Europe’s corporate communications director (EMEIA) commenting on the development said, “Yes, Alok Sharma has left the organization and Tom Preising is Apple’s new acting Country Sales Manager for India, responsible for the day-to-day operations in the region.”
When questioned about the exit of other people and the reason behind the move, Hely stated that they had nothing further to add and remarked that, “Apple continues to invest in India as a growing market for the company.”
Abhi also points out that the Government / DoT might be grilling Apple regarding the new specs/ design of the iPhone 3GS.
But from point of view , I think the chemistry between Apple and Vodafone / Airtel is not working out. Airtel and Vodafone seem really happy with RIM’s Blackberry and HTC and seem to promote those handsets heavily. Looks like the Duo didn’t take much effort to sell the iPhone in India. Also either Vodafone or Airtel might have expressed their displeasure to Apple for not being the exclusive network to offer the iPhone in India. Also to add fuel to the fire Govt. owned BSNL had expressed interest in offering the iPhone on its network. Recently BSNL started offering Blackberry services.
There are rumors of a August 22nd launch and if it does not happen , I’m going to just pick up a good old Nokia phone.
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@mithun, thats just wonderful. i wonder if we can sue apple for a promise not kept.
@mithun, wonderful.thats great news.i wonder if we can sue apple for a promise not kept.
it’s high time…. they should launch it by this month atleast…… or else who will be intrested in buying…because the next iphone will out in by june.
@ ramona….. well sumthing has to be done…
@ ramona
even i am thinking to sue apple for not launching in august.But i dont knw whther v can sue thm or not.
@ramona…. yea sumthing should be done….
@ all plaintiffs: the idea is alright, but you planning to sue in which court? American(where you might be tossed aside) or indian consumer court(where you WILL be tossed aside) ?
And more over, will apple give a damn? But i salute your train of thought. When it comes to silent protest(which is all we can do, i think) i will join hands with you guys anytime.
ppl here is the latest……The Iphone 3GS should be in india this month…. can give u clear picture in 2 days…as talks between apple and vodafone is goin on regarding the launch…. sum good news finally….
@mithun, if its launchin this month..dont u think the carriers wud have announced somethin by now?
Thanks for the update mithun, finally a good news…
its not even worth waiting anymore.. in a months time n900 will be out and this one really looks sweet
@mithun…i can wait for two days mate as i have been waiting for two months ! thanks a lot
@mithun : how can u tell dat??!!??
i’ll wait till the 10th of sept if nothing official comes up i’ll buy it from alfa or might as well get it from the US as i’ll be leavin in oct.
@mithun………any further followup leads?
@ mithun
Plz update 2 days hav gone
Just yesterday I called up the Vodafone customer service and they told me that apple telephone products will be made available only after the month of December!!!
ppl i tlkd 2 some Apple guy ystrday … he told me dat it is surely in october 1st wek nd it can not b launchd b4 dat nyhow …. I told him dat dis delay is leading to increase in grey market sales then he said dat sales is not d priorty for us , last time wn v launchd 3G to it wasnt a hit nd had lot of issues and v r working on dat so that nothing shud go against d Apple image …. he told thr wil b more istores in d country nd recently dr is 1 opened in noida nd GK M block (delhi) …. preparation is on fr d launch … i dnno vat bt i beliv it is worth waiting fr dis i thing …
ppl… the latest update which i got i have told u guys…. no update yet… wil keep u all updated if i get anything…
Plz update guys
Now since OS 3.1 is officially out, i guess the indian launch of the iphone 3gs is around the corner..
Yep. Its been just around the corner since over a month
its been round the corner for nearly 3 months or so………
its been a very long time now and still no update as of now..
friends i would sugggest you one thing that u can purchase an iphone from hongkong reason is that apple is officaly selling unlocked version of iphone in hongkong and its ready to use handset just enter any sim card connect it to itunes and your phone will be officialy activated by apple server.. so jailbreak no hacking nothing like that….
if any of ur frds or relatives is in hong kong then u can arrange an unlocked version at cheap price rather than buying jailbroken handset.
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iPhone 3G & iPhone 3GS purchased at the Hongkong Apple Online Store can be activated with any wireless carrier. Simply insert the SIM from your current phone into iPhone 3G or iPhone 3GS and connect to
iTunes 8.2 to complete activation.2 Purchase limitations may apply.
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http://store.apple.com/hk/browse/home/shop_iphone/family/iphone
can u give me more idea.. plz.. can i use any card and do it carry international warranty..
i wish apple could sell unlocked version of iPhone in INDIA also..
so we can update to any latest firmware of apple without any tension of being locked again….
any update
please update guys
Mithun got any information
i ll tell you one thing forget abt i phone
…………
f*** apple f*** i phone
Can confirm that it won’t be relased before October 20.
apple sucks…….they r a*****es
Dear Apple,
I am sincerely requesting you to get IPHONE 3GS soon to India… Plz…!
I am getting exited to have hands on this wonder device & my dream phone…
Plz some one keep me updated on its launch.
Plz dude.. some one here.
guys i need help i wanna know if it is possible to get contract free iphone 3gs in usa (preferably factory unlocked)either in AT&T stores r in apple stores …….r can we get in walmart r best buy….if anyone of u knows it plz reply…..tell me de prize if u do know