The iPhone 3Gs has given Apple a real boost. After selling 1 million 3Gs in just 3 days and a total of 5.2million iPhones in Q3 (majority of which were the old iPhone 3G); it seems that Apple is facing serious stock issues. Rogers in Canada is out of stock and is full filling the back orders with whatever new stock arrives on a weekly basis. Earlier this month even Australia went out of stock and supply still remains thin.
During the Q3 earnings call Apple COO, Tim Cook had admitted that iPhone 3G S demand is high and some overseas launch might be delayed due to stock issues. This probably explains the delay in the iPhone 3GS India launch. Currently AT&T in US is promising delivery in 7-14 days. US remains Apple’s primary market for the iPhone and we can expect the supply chain to favor the countries where the 3GS has already been introduced. The iPhone 3G S was originally expected to hit the Indian market sometime in August itself (we also heard some wild pricing details), but we are highly unsure on the India launch now as wild estimates are ranging from late August to October. No one including the employees and PR at the Indian carriers are able to give a clear view at the moment.
Where to buy the iPhone 3GS in India?
Meantime the iPhone 3G and the 3GS continue to sell in the grey markets in Mumbai. iPhones imported from US and other markets are unlocked and sold at a good premium. Currently a iPhone 3Gs 16GB costs approx Rs 39000 in the grey market.
iPhone / iPod touch downloads
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Thats bad if they are delaying the process.. What about the people who are waiting in India for the arrival of 3GS.. I think apple by creating such excitement will loose its share…
i just wane know whats the launch date in india for i phone 3gs ,
I am disappointed to know the delay is caused due to stock issues. People are waiting for the phone to hit india and now the news comes that the launch may be from end August to October any time. In my opinion Apple should make efforts and atleast declare the date of launch for the indian consumers. Such a situation may have adverse effects on the sale of the product in india in coming times. Apples reputation also may have adverse effects due to this. Delayed but declare the date as soon as possible please.
I have heard of the other theories justifying the delay – which refers to some Apple execs in India (along with CEO) quitting the co. But I don’t think thats the cause atleast in this case…
Come on boys come out with the truth and the date when you propose to launch the phone in India
The latest news is that this is on hold indefinitely because FCC probing. Any large deal, such as India or China will cause scrutiny oversea as well. It’s fun to see how Steve Job spins in front of India and Chinese regulators about its app approval process
I seriously doubt regulatory issue in India is a problem …. The market isnt that ‘vikaseet’ (developed) here yet…
My be is strongly on the Stock issues!
The problem is not only in India but also in middle east where it was supposed to be launched in august but no carrier has it yet. No one knows even in middle east when it coming and what is the pricing. So this problem is not related to India only.
Apple really needs to get its priorities right…
Yup, same issues in UAE launch aswell!
The launch date is said to be from Sep 1st week to Oct
Nokia’s N97 is worst alternative to iPhone. I just can’t wait for iPhone.
i was also considering N97 now as there has been so much delay on the 3gs launch…& we still don’t know anything about it’s launch date even yet
…but having read some reviews i think the touchscreen on the n97 is not at par with the iphone’s screen & i personally prefer the onscreen keyboard of the iphone as opposed to a physical one…so the only option left with me now is to wait blindly for the 3gs…. 
I happened to speak to Apple India at Bangalore today. According to him, launch of 3GS in month of August is out of question. He also said that Apple has never officially declared August launch in India. When I asked him about launch in September, he replied that he has no information as on date. He has taken my contact details and told me that they would advise me immediately once the date is fixed. I do not know, what Apple is planing to launch in India, a mobile phone or a “SPACE SHUTTLE” that so much securacy is maintained. Soon people will be fed up with the entire drama and drop 3GS like a hot plate.
In my opinion we all fans are giving too much importance to all this. We all should simply forget the phone and get on. There are other manufacturers of good mobiles accross the world.
Dats really bad…apple being the old sucessfull firm shld increase their production rate….well Apple u lose one costumer…dats me..coz i had been waiting for 3GS since d WWDC 09…n finally got a N97…today…due to no clue of 3GS in India
I believe that the main reason for the delay is the bad performance by both the telecom operators in India in selling the iPhone 3g..They still have a huge inventory of the 40,000 or so pieces that they had initially ordered. They are trying to dump the same in other countries like Srilanka where they operate (as proved by the article in Telegraph website). I think its either the telecom operators or Apple who is not willing to launch 3gs in India till the old inventory is sold.
I am a huge Apple fan to the extent that I use all of the Apple products from laptops to phones to ipods. But there shitty policy is getting to me these days. I dont know why these guys cant be clear on anything. If you dont want to launch the iphone 3gs here in India or want to delay the same then I think that Indians should be officially informed.
We should all start to banish apple products from now on.
The problem is with 3Gs stock shortage. They did announce that they are bringing the iPhone to korea shortly. Thats good isnt it?
You need to accept the fact that the Indian market is just not big enough for them to even open a proper service center. They simply replace your product if there is any issue. Atleast they are giving service much better than other companies.