Easy financing plans for iPhone 3G announced in India, finally

As if $830 for a 16GB iPhone 3G wasn’t crazy enough, it still costs $730 for the 8GB version in India these days. Because sales were obviously slowed by the extreme pricing, carriers in India are finally offering "easy payment" plans for the iPhone 3G.

iPhone Hacks is reporting that Airtel and Vodafone, the two carriers of Apple’s new iPhone 3G in India, have tied up with local banks so that customers can buy the most-hyped gadget ever created on easy monthly installment (EMI) plans to help push sales. Monthly installments can range from $60 for a period of 12 months to $230 for a period of 3 months for the 8GB iPhone 3G model and $70 for a period of 12 months to $270 for a period of 3 months for the 16GB model. Pricing like that may up sales, but it all seems a bit pointless still- only because India still has no 3G coverage at all.

Om Malik, an Indian blogger, had even published a post saying "In India, Either Buy iPhones or Get a Family Car" as the cost of iPhone 3Gs in India for a family of three would cost around the same as Tata NANO- the $2300 people’s car from Tata Motors , an Indian auto manufacturer. With no 3G available, users in India would have to be seriously dazzled by the other iPhone features to pay so much. Maybe the new pricing schemes will make it more appealing.

I don’t understand how the mobile industries work in India, but I would’ve thought that Airtel and Vodafone would subsidize the iPhone like all the other carriers, but it appears it doesn’t work that way. I guess with no 3G available, carriers are a bit apprehensive about the popularity, thus making it available only to the people who really want it.

When a phone has to be financed, and someone has to pay interest on a simple gadget, it shows just how popular the iPhone has gotten. For people to go to that length just to say they own the latest "it" gadget, it means Apple has definitely gotten something right. I think the problem in India is the fact that the device itself it a little ahead of its time when it comes to carrier advancement. In the future, as carrier features (3G) improve, the iPhone will be as ubiquitous as it is everywhere else.