iPad finally hits Indian shores
29 Jan 2011
Apple on Friday officially launched the iPad in India at a starting price of Rs27,900, almost 10 months after it first became available in the US.
iPad, which has already sold almost 15 million units since its launch, is available in six variants - in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB capacities with WiFi only and WiFi+3G options, with the 64GB WiFi+3G device being priced at Rs45,000.
The rollout of the gadget in India now seems to resonate well with the launch of 3G services in the country. Private telecom providers Bharti Airtel, Tata Teleservices and Relaince Telecom have started offering 3G services along side BSNL, which has already launched an iPad plan for users.
The iPad not being tied to any specific telecom providers, unlike the US, is also likely work in its favour.
On the negative side, there are rumours of a new version of the iPad, sporting dual cameras, being announced in the next few months, which might play dampener to the launch.
Besides, the iPad will face competition from Samsung Galaxy Tab and the Olive pad, which are already available in India. Samsung has already reduced the price of its Galaxy Tab from Rs36,499 to Rs29,500 to compete with the iPad.
iPad has so far been available in India through e-commerce websites and in the grey market.
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