The Upcoming Apple iPhone Launch in India

Ending speculation that was rife in many circles till now, it is now official that Apple’s leading smart phone – iPhone will be launched in India in August 2008. According to popular media, the iPhone is set to hit the Indian markets on August 22 this year, courtesy Airtel and Vodafone – the two leading telecom operators in India. The iPhone has already made its debut in the USA and other countries, where it has proved to be hugely successful. Like other places in the world, the instrument is being immensely awaited here.

If you had tried to get hold of this instrument from abroad, you should now be able to await the launch of this product with baited breath here. So, don’t be astonished if some users mention they will obtain this product on the very first day of its launch in the country.

Owning an iPhone has been a dream for many here in India. While interviewed by media sources, many prospective iPhone customers said that they were indeed glad that the instrument is being launched in India. Most won’t even mind joining large queues on 22 August 2008 to purchase the product.

Regarding the price, there are rumours all over the place at what price it is going to retail. It is currently being rumoured that the phone will cost around INR 20,000 here. Some reports even place the price anywhere between INR 20,000 and INR 25,000. Currently, parallel markets have the iPhone 3G for INR 55,000 and the iPhone 16GB for INR 32,000. It is certainly not surprising that prices have not deterred many iPhone fans in the country.

It can be said with ease that this product is one of the most sought after pieces in the world. According to media sources, Apple has already sold 4 million iPhone pieces since its launch in June last year. Apple claims that it has targeted a sales figure of 10 million by December 2008.

When the iPhone is launched, it will save many Indians from procuring illegitimately sourced iPhones and unlocking them for their use. According to various sources, the mobile subscriber base will get to almost double at around 500 million subscribers by 2010. The entry of the iPhone will certainly increase these figures.

To give users a recap of what the iPhone is all about, it’s a remarkable phone that wows people from the very beginning. The very first look at the iPhone reveals its extraordinary small size. It is only 11 mm thick and comes with a high resolution 3.5 inch touch screen. Additionally, it weighs only 135 grams. Users will be further amazed because there is no keyboard. Apple has created a virtual keyboard that gets displayed on the touch screen. There are a very few buttons on the body, and they too are flush with the design.

What’s more, there is a wide screen iPod, mobile phone, and an internet communications device that includes a television, mobile player, computer phone, GPS, camera, and iPod – all this bundled into one.

There are a host of other features that will surely overawe people. The iPhone comes packaged with a host of options like a 2-megapixel camera, headphone jack, sleep/wake switch, speaker and microphone. Besides this, there's a SIM card slot that is located at the top.

Connectivity accompaniments include Bluetooth, WiFi and support for EDGE technology. Further, the entire phone is completely touch activated, which means that you point a finger to an icon and touch the screen to launch the relevant program. This makes navigation an easy task on this phone considering the number of applications and the overall functionality of this phone.

Moreover, you don’t need to punch buttons or frantically search and dial numbers. You can just touch a number or the name of a person to connect to that person in a jiffy. Additional features include merging calls in conference mode, and innovatively allowing you to see messages and decide which one to listen to.

There is 16 hours of music too, which you just point to in order to activate it. In other words, the iPhone is also a mini computer that uses a Safari browser, with built in Google and Yahoo search. At the same time, it can also access email and read web pages also.

So, if you have the budget and the consideration for an iPhone, the time has now matured to own a genuine one. At least, it will save you travelling down the murky alleys of the grey market for acquiring an illegal variety!