India to get 3G iPhone with bugs

BANGALORE, INDIA: Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Essar will on Friday launch Apple’s third-generation (3G) iPhone in India, a nation with an estimated population of 1.13 billion, where one in five people owns a mobile phone.

Two models will be up for grabs: one with 8GB memory (in black colour) and another 16 GB (white and black) for Rs 31,000 and Rs 36,100, respectively.



Also read: iPhone overpriced in India

Airtel is currently accepting an advance booking charge of Rs 5000. The gadget will be delivered after paying the remaining amount on or after Friday.

US telecom provider AT&T is selling the phone in that country at a subsidized rate of $199 (around Rs 8600).

3G blues

The phone, which is considered smarter than the smartphone, debuted in the US and 21 other countries on July 11.

The 3G iPhone, however, did not have a smooth sail due to many glitches users have been pointing out. Dropped calls, slow Web access and lack of access to 3G networks were among the complaints made against the 3G iPhone.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs has assured that iPhone problems will be fixed in September. The firm has so far issued two firmware updates to fix the bugs that have been pestering the gadget.

Meanwhile, Jessica Alena Smith, a disgruntled customer filed a class action complaint against Apple in US District Court in Alabama. The complainant accused Apple of failing to deliver on its promise that the latest iPhone is “twice as fast for half the price.”

Incidentally, Canada-based Research in Motion’s BlackBerry Bold also faces similar problems, including 3G connectivity issues, as that of the iPhone, according to Citigroup investment analyst Jim Suva. He also gives thumbs-down to Bold’s two-megapixel camera.

The latest iPhone features 3G wireless technology, GPS mapping, support for enterprise features like Microsoft Exchange, and the new App Store, according to Apple.

Like the original iPhone, it combines three products in one: a phone, a widescreen iPod, and an Internet device with rich HTML email and a desktop-class web browser. “It redefines what a mobile phone can do – again,” the firm added.



Hackers ready

Meanwhile, a newspaper report said Indian hackers are ready to welcome the 3G iPhone.

“Since the SIM-locked iPhone will be sold by Airtel and Vodafone Essar, non-Airtel/Vodafone GSM subscribers won’t be able to use it unless codes are available to break the SIM lock,” the Economic Times today said.

The report also added that the Turbo SIM is the latest way to unlock Apple’s showpiece.