iPhone turns grey in Mumbai

The iPhone is selling in large numbers in the city, where the phone has been unlocked and ready for use

Before it ever became a reality, the iPhone was the Holy Grail for technophiles across the globe. Then on June 29, 2007, Sir Apple rode in and unveiled its iPhone to the world. But the future came at a price and it was $599 (Rs23,648):  the cost for the 8GB version of the phone.

By September 5, of this year, Apple had slashed the price of its 8GB model to $399 (Rs15,752) and dropped the 4GB version from its line-up altogether. Until a few months ago, Mumbaikars were told they would have to wait till 2008 before they could get their mitts on this marvel of modern technology.

The powers that be, however, did not count on the grey market: iPhones are selling like proverbial hotcakes in the city.

“I’m planning to buy an iPhone. I was saving up for a PDA, but now I’ve been told that the price has fallen, and that I can get an unlocked phone for less than Rs30,000,” says businessman Manoj Rathode.

And he most certainly can. A trip to Heera Panna in Tardeo saw iPhones peering out of the windows of almost every electronics shop. The prices ranged from Rs29,500 to Rs28,000 for the 8GB model. “We don’t usually stock the 4GB model [which retails for about Rs24,000] as everybody wants to buy the 8GB model, the difference is only Rs4,000,” said one shopkeeper.

Another stated that the stock he ordered three days ago (10 8GBs and four 4GBs) had sold out and he was awaiting the next shipment. The volume of phones being sold is rising steadily. Every shopkeeper we spoke to claimed to have sold more than 50 iPhones in the last two weeks. If we add up the number of shops we spoke to — six — that would make more than 300 iPhones sold in a fortnight and that’s just from one mall.
Keep in mind the iPhone is not scheduled to officially launch in the country till next year.  But not everyone has bought their iPhones in India. Lalit Modi, vice president of the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) purchased his from the US: “I bought the unlocking code online so I could use it in India,” he says.

And therein lies the rub, the unlocking of the iPhone code that blocks unauthorised Sim cards from being used. Three months ago there was an increasing amount of web chatter centred on the fact that a few Indian dealers claimed they could — and in some cases had already — unlock the iPhone so that it could be used in India.

Of the naysayers there were many; here’s just what one blog had to say: “The Indian phone dealers thought that unlocking the iPhone will be like unlocking any other Symbian phone.

Many of the dealers actually confidently told me that the iPhone is Symbian-based. I almost died laughing. With such ill-informed and stupid salesmen, I would advise everyone to wait at least 3-4 months before even thinking about the iPhone in India.”

The shops at Heera Panna have not only unlocked the iPhone, but state that you can begin downloading software within the next 20 days, although we would advise you to check with your dealer before you do or you run the risk of your phone being locked.

So will the iPhone spell the end for all the PDAs and BlackBerries currently weighing down the pockets of the city’s movers and shakers? Modi is quick to add that he still prefers using his BlackBerry to send emails and messages. “So now I carry, both.”

PDAs, however, may begin to feel the heat. “I have exchanged my PDA for an iPhone,” says Sameer Kalwani, and he is part of a growing army of iPhone enthusiasts.

Whatever happens over the months preceding the phone’s official launch in the city, one thing is for certain... come January owning an iPhone may not make you the tech pioneer you thought you would be.