Today I recieved a mail from Vodafone that IPhone is being launched in India on August 22, 2008 as I had pre-registered the IPhone. The mail was really shocking to me. The shock was not due to the launch date but was due to the cost.
Previously it was hyped that IPhone would be available in India at a cost of Rs. 8000- Rs.10000. But Today I found that it will be available in 8GB & 16GB models, priced at Rs 31,000 and Rs 36,100 respectively. This is more than three times of the price previously told by Mobile operators. Also this price doesn't include the price for any connection subscription, that means either you have to use your existing Vodafone sim with this phone or you have to apply for a new connection.
Also one more thing you can't add up any new applications or games to IPhone just by downloading the software installers on your phone, you need to buy them from Apple Stores, you can't record video without buying a software, You can't use IPhone as USB Drive as it will work only with ITunes. Completely hook up to Apple products.
So welcoming IPhone in India with a heavy heart as in this price I could buy up a decent digital camera or Handy Camera for pictures and Videos (Around Rs. 15000), an ipod Nano for music (Around Rs.8000 - 10000), and keeping my regular Moto ROKR for internet and making calls, this way I can save a lot of money as well as get much better products. Or even I should buy a Sahara Small Laptop (Rs. 15000) and get an unlimited Internet connection on my Vodafone postpaid by paying just Rs. 500 per month and I can stay online all the time and also watch movies, play good games, work on word documents and so on. All less than Rs. 25000.
So decide yourself that whether IPhone at this price is justifiable or not. Do examine and evaluate other options too.