iPhone launched in India sans mass hysteria

Apple's iconic 3G iPhone made its debut in India, sans the public frenzy that greeted its worldwide debut last month, as a steep price and mixed reviews kept potential buyers at bay. Vodafone Essar, the Indian unit of the UK-based wireless major and Bharti Airtel, India's leading GSM operator, launched the latest version of Apple's smart phone in the country on August 22. The 8GB 3G iPhone is available in India at Rs31,000 while the 16GB model will cost Rs36,100. The same handsets in the US are cheaper. The 8GB model retails for US$199 and the 16GB model for US$299. So, people in India will think twice before they spend such large amount on the snazzy iPhone. Airtel claims 200,000 customers have registered for the iPhone, Vodafone has reportedly registered half this number.