iphone

Kiruba has raised few very valid arguments on the launch on iPhone in India.

First, You can’t just walk to a mobile store, pay about Rs 9950, pick up the iPhone and walk away. You’ll have to sign a long term contract (approx two years) with either Airtel or Vodafone, the mobile operators that Apple has tied up in India. Both Airtel and Vodafone are tightlipped about what the monthly rates are but the US rates give a rough indication of the costs. AT&T, the service provider in the US, charges $30 (approx Rs 1,200) and for business use, it is $40 (approx Rs 1,600). There’s a good chance that the costs in India will be around these figures

Things cannot be very simple, isn’t it? There is a very high possibility that Airtel and Vodafone would adopt the US model but I have few reservations-

1. Blackberry services are also being offered by these service providers. While operators like at & t and T Mobile have struggled to offer an unlimited data plan, Airtel had unlimited plans for over an year now. at & t and T Mobile have now started offering unlimited data plans but at a much higher cost compared to Airtel, you can get them for as low as $15. Going by the same logic, Airtel’s monthly rate might not be as high as at & t. Selling service provider locked phones are an option but seeing the vulnerabilities of these locked devices, Airtel might want to recover the entire cost of handset (OEM (Apple’s) cost) in one go. (I hope they have learned with their experience with HTC Touch, this phone was launched as sim locked to Airtel but soon they were unlocked to work on other networks. Airtel wasn’t offering any discount on the handset from OEM’s price)
2. Indians don’t prefer being milked for years at a stretch. So any attempt to tie them to a service provider might fail drastically. I have serious reservations on the success of iPhone app store because we don’t believe in buying softwares, do we? Another reason why Apple and Airtel/Vodafone should consider increasing the initial price of the phone.
3. High-end phones have already been in India for long and they have really been successful. There is no reason why people won’t shell out the same money to buy this wonderful handset.

Just saw the apple keynote of WWDC 2008. Steve Jobs talked about the new 3G iPhone and its superiority over the Edge network. The video about the speed comparison was interesting, Safari took 59 seconds to load nationalgeographics.com on Edge. Interestingly Opera browser on my Blackberry 8310 (Edge network) takes 25 seconds to load the same page!

The load time on 3G network for Safari was 21 seconds.

Madhur tagged me a little while ago.

THE RULES :

1. We have to post these rules before we give you the facts.
2. Players start with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

So here are the 8 facts about me

1. I had computer-phobia when I joined college but by the end of my college days I was completely into internet and online advertisements. I have made about Rs. 15,000 (I mentioned the figures because there is someone who gets jealous whenever I tell him about my e-CPM ) so far from google adsense and others since February, when google finally accepted my application. I was banned in October for a crime that I committed in 2005! (I used to click my own ads)

2. I love travelling but have a phobia for air flights. I usually take the train.

3. I once played club cricket but after years of dormancy my stamina lasts only for few minutes.

4. I am very cautious of my personal belongings, I would frequently check my pockets for mobile and purse (take my advice, never keep your purse in the back pocket while in Delhi)

5. I am terrible with spellings and my handwriting awful.

6. I plan to settle down in Antarctica after retirement…seems impossible now but things will improve in future!

7. I used to loathe government offices for their lethargy and inefficiency but my present job requires me to deal only with government offices and suggest them ways to improve efficiency.

8. I love mobile phones. My love for mobile was so ecstatic that I once bought a 18K mobile during my student life. I still love them and presently waiting for my iPhone.

Few are dying to get their hands on the Apple iphone and few want to blend it. Well that’s how life is!

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