Vodafone Starts Pre-Registration of Apple iPhone in India

So, we eat humble pie. Vodafone confirms a month old Business Standard story, it will launch the iPhone in India along with Australia, the Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, Italy, Portugal, New Zealand, South Africa and Turkey, later this year. What will be the price? According to the BS story, the 8GB was slated to cost Rs 27 - 28k. Assuming custom duties on cellphones is 5%, at the current retail price in the US of Rs 16k (8GB) and Rs 20k (16GB), a very conservative estimate taking into account allied taxes and duties should be around Rs 21k (8GB) and around 25k (16GB), which would be needed to put it on par with the current rates in the greymarket.
Visit the pre-registration page to get started. Note the fine print - “Currently compatible only with 2G networks. Only select features and services are currently available in India.”You can also Pre-register your iPhone 3G now - simply sms IPHONE to 56789.
The most attractive feature of the iPhone is the ability to add third party applications, the variety and functionality of which is what makes it great as a platform.