At events across the country, the long awaited iPhone 5 has been launched in India. Featuring a larger 4″ screen and a much more powerful A6 processor, the iPhone 5 is a major step up from the iPhone 4S. The phone is now incredibly slim with a thickness of just 7.6mm. The svelte smartphone is also remarkably light weighing just 112gms.
The latest version of Apple Inc.’s iconic iPhone is expected to do swifter sales in India than previous incarnations, analysts say.
The iPhone 5 will be available on retail shelves in India starting Friday, but Apple fans have already started pre-ordering the smartphone from Apple’s local telecom carrier partners Bharti Airtel ltd. 532454.BY -0.75% and Aircel Ltd.
Information on Bharti Airtel’s website showed that the iPhone 5 is priced at 45,500 rupees ($847) for the basic 16 gigabytes version. The 32 GB variant is priced at 52,500 rupees and the 64 GB version at 59,500 rupees.
To meet demand for the iPhone 5, specialized distribution companies and mobile phone companies have together placed orders with Apple to ship 100,000 iPhone 5s to India to meet demand, says G. Rajeev, a senior market analyst with research firm IDC Inc, who closely tracks the smartphone market in India. This compares with 25,000 units ordered prior to the launch of the iPhone 4S, he adds.
