Can you get me an iPhone from US?
Sure it will cost $505.99.
No, why it only costs $200 in US.
Sure if you are willing to steal it!
My brown Indian bros.. here is how it works -
You walk in the funky looking iStore, pick the cool looking iPhone (8GB) after talking to the people dressed in blue iT-shirts (the geniuses as they like to call themselves, so much for being modest) at an ultra cheap price of $199.00 + $15 (7.5% taxes).
The iGenius now asks you to activate the phone with a 2 year contract, they have these orange iT-shirt dudes (don’t know what they are called) to stop you from taking the phone outside the store without activating. You activate it at $35 and pay the first month due of $69.99/month + some million type of taxes = $81.99. Your total so far = $330.99
aha .. freedom - or so you think.
Now either you keep paying $69.99 per month or since you are buying the phone for someone in India you decide to deactivate your contract by paying $175. Your total my friend comes out to be = $505.99 + unlocking the phone.
Cost of owning an iPhone from US (@$1 = Rs.43) = Rs. 21,757.57 + unlocking + no-warranties + customs chori + read the confidentiality agreement that At&t makes you sign, I am sure there is something illegal about unlocking the phone.
Cost of owning an iPhone from India = Rs. 31,000 + mental peace for me
September 13th, 2008 at 5:02 pm
Not sure if the iPhone in India comes unlocked or with a contract. If unlocked, then super mental peace…if not, hazaar lafdaas as usual (although, I know people in India using ziPhone on the first generation of US-only iPhone release).
I haven’t read the agreement myself but I am sure unlocking is not illegal — just that it voids your warranty…however, there’s some piggy-backing SIM option that helps with the unlocking *and* does not void the warranty (sells for $35 or so).
Disclaimer: I haven’t unlocked/jailbroken my iPhone nor have I even tried (…yet).
September 17th, 2008 at 9:26 am
Wow- $505.99? Really?
This contract thingy is the worst - but I guess that’s how they make money!
If you own the phone for 3 months, you can unlock it without any problems if you tell them you are travelling. But that means you still have the hassle of paying the extra 2 months PLUS the $175.
I didn’t know about the $35 option mentioned above.
September 17th, 2008 at 10:47 pm
@Shalini:
The SIM option I mentioned above is not AT&T approved. While there is one software unlock available namely ziPhone, the SIM piggy-backing is a hardware option with (definitely) less hassle but with a price.
I’m still researching on the subject and have yet to find anyone who has bought it.
October 30th, 2008 at 7:48 am
Oh dear lord! I don’t even get the hype about the darn i-phone! I get that all the time from people in India, the i-phone costs an arm and a leg with O2 in the UK…any other phone does absolutely fine yaar, what is so great about the “i” phone :P