Apple's iPhone price catching many eyes

iPhone

Apple has developed a (good) habit of turning seemingly ordinary concepts into gadgets that border on science fiction. iPod and the more recent iPhone will more than testify for this.

iPhone led a new genre of cell-phones with an intuitive touch interface. Many gizmo freaks however were disappointed when the iPhone did not launch in India. But this time around, things look better with two of India's biggest telecom players announcing that iPhone 3G will indeed be available for cell-phone users.

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What seems to be catching many people's eyes – perhaps more than the iPhone 3G's new design – is the price. At $199 (Rs 8,000) the iPhone looks cheap. But the iPhone may not be available at this price in India. Even in the US, the data-plans offered by telecom companies such as AT&T will be more expensive for the iPhone 3G than for other phones.

To cut a long story short, the iPhone 3G costs around $450 to $500. Telecom companies like AT&T will subsidise the cost initially, but will more than make up for it in the data plan (cost for talking, SMSing, and browsing the Internet). Sources within Vodafone India could not confirm the pricing of the iPhone 3G or the plans that would be offered along with it, adding that the pricing model in India may well differ from the one in the US.

Surprisingly, existing iPhone users are not too kicked about the launch. "I would have considered going in for the official version with Vodafone had I not bought one last November," says Suyash Barve. According to Barve, the new version doesn't offer anything additional features that are significant, at least in India.

Other users like Ritesh Rai, CEO, Genesis Modern Trade are actually planning to give up their iPhone. "Once it is launched there will be a whole lot of people who will be carrying the iPhone around. There will no longer be a novelty factor attached to it," says Rai.

When the iPhone launched in January 2007, there was nothing that came close to its design, touch interface, and audio-video playback. But this time other companies have caught on and launching worthy competitors of their own, dubbed the iPhone killers.

HTC's Touch Diamond has already hit the Indian market (with Airtel for approximately Rs 27,000). Apart from a sleek design, it features a 3D interface that should make the Touch Diamond stand out from the crowd. The other goodies are top-of-the-line as well - it has built-in global positioning system, Wi-Fi connectivity, and 3G-connectivity. The Touch Diamond runs on Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional.

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After the Touch Diamond the most anticipated iPhone killer is Sony Ericsson's Xperia X1 - the name itself oozes with style. It was rumoured that Sony Ericsson may postpone the launch to 2009, but recent reports confirm that the Xperia X1 will be available by late 2008. Xperia X1 will feature a 3-inch touch-screen display. And for those who type a lot (SMS/email), there's a slide-out QWERTY keyboard where the keys are arranged exactly like your PC's keyboard.

And can Nokia be left far behind? The Finnish behemoth till date has not been too keen to develop touch-screen models, but will now enter the fray with the Nokia Tube. Nokia has not yet revealed too many details and the phone is due in late 2008. Other models to look out for are the LG Dare, which launched last week, Blackberry Thunder, and the Samsung i900 Omnia, which features a heavy-duty 5MP camera.

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Of course, none of them as of now turn as many heads as the 'bitten apple'. iPhone's brand value will remain high for some time to come. But while you spending your moolah, you might as well have a look at the options coming your way.

Under license from www.3dsyndication.com

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