No change in iPhone 5 pricing

[M.J.Sadiq]

Apple iPhone 5 is among the most expensive smartphones in India, with a price tag of Rs 45,500 for the base model. While the government has raised taxes on phones costing more than Rs 2,000, online retailer Snapdeal has lowered the prices of iPhone 5.

The 16GB variant of Apple iPhone 5 is available on Snapdeal site for Rs 42,990, a discount of Rs 2,500 from its launch price of Rs 45,500. Similarly, the 32 and 64GB variants of the smartphone are available for Rs 50,100 and Rs 57,200. This means Rs 2,400 and Rs 2,300 respectively below their official price tag of Rs 52,500 and Rs 59,500, respectively.

Prices of iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S, the older models in Apple's smartphone series have also been cut by the e-commerce website. iPhone 4, officially available at Rs 26,500, is available for Rs 25,990 on the site. Similarly, iPhone 4S is being sold for Rs 35,500, in comparison to its official price tag of Rs 38,500.

Snapdeal, however, is not selling iPads and iPad mini at lower rates.

This is the first time that a prominent e-commerce player has lowered the price of iPhones across the board. These smartphones have been available at lower cost than the official price tags on websites like Tradus and eBay India, where several retailers can sell their goods on a common platform.

The move could be a potential game changer for the entire top-end smartphone spectrum as other retailers might follow up with a price cut. This pricing already makes at least two recently launched iPhone 5 rivals HTC Butterfly and BlackBerry Z10 more expensive than iPhone 5 (16GB model). These smartphones are priced at Rs 45,500 and Rs 43,490 respectively.

Apple iPhone 5 available at Rs 42,990 - The Times of India

 

[M.J.Sadiq]

In what is a somewhat unexpected development, one Indian online retailer has slashed the prices of the Apple iPhone 5. At the time of writing this, Snapdeal is offering the 16GB version of the Apple iPhone 5 for Rs. 43,999. If we go by the reports of our friends at the Times of India, apparently, Snapdeal had offered this phone at Rs. 42,990 for a limited time. Why we say unexpected is mostly because just recently, the government raised taxes on all mobile phones costing more than Rs. 2,000. This was announced in the Budget 2013 announced recently.

Snapdeal has listed the white and the black colour versions of the Apple iPhone 5 (16GB) for Rs.43,999. The box price of this phone is Rs. 45,500. Incidentally, the 32GB and 64GB versions of the iPhone 5 are not listed on the site as we write this. The price slash seems to be across the board for iPhones. The Apple iPhone 4 (8GB), in both white and black colours, is now selling for Rs. 25,990. This is against the box price of Rs. 28,500. The Apple iPhone 4S (16GB), again both colour options available, is listed at Rs. 35,500, instead of the pre-discount price of Rs. 38,500.

We got in touch with Apple India, and unnamed sources have clearly mentioned that Apple has nothing to do with these price cuts. Additionally, there are also doubts on where the website is sourcing the units from, since they are not “authorized resellers”.

As for the Snapdeal offer, we are a little apprehensive about the warranty bit. The listing only mentions “1 Year Manufacturing Warranty”, and that leads us to doubt the sourcing of the product, in line with what the Apple representative said. We would not advise buying from a source where the warranty details are not clear, considering the huge investment up front.

This is the first time when one of the leading e-commerce websites has slashed the prices on the iPhone 5. Yes, the iPhone has been available at lower prices on websites like eBay, but we will not factor those in since that is a different platform, with sellers interacting with buyers directly. We are not really sure if these prices will really have an impact on the smartphone market in general, particularly on the likes of the BlackBerry Z10 and the HTC Butterfly, both of which are priced similarly or higher than the iPhone 5. Mostly because these offers from Snapdeal are most likely limited time offers to get the inventory moving, and may not be sustainable in the long run.

Apple India clarifies: No change in iPhone 5 pricing - Mobile Phone | ThinkDigit News