iPhone in India on Aug 22, or sooner

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NEW DELHI: Apple iPhone, the touchscreen handset that seems to have acquired a cult status in the US and other western countries, is finally hitting Indian shores this month.

While Bharti Airtel has announced that it will launch iPhone on August 22, Vodafone may steal its arch rival’s thunder by launching the eagerly-awaited phone a few days earlier on August 18. In fact, Indiatimes Infotech was the first to report that Vodafone will launch iPhone in India in August.

Both the companies remain tight lipped on pricing and other details.

In a statement, Bharti said that millions of Airtel subscribers will be able to purchase the iPhone at Airtel’s Relationship Centres from August 22.

“iPhone has been an iconic technological revelation of this year and Airtel has been at the forefront of innovation and customer delight in the Indian telecom sector,” Sanjay Kapoor, President, Bharti Airtel mobile services, said.

iPhone is embedded with all 3G features and is twice as fast as the existing mobile phones. The phone also has in-built GPS system, which facilitates as navigation and positioning tool.

“Introducing iPhone in India further underscores Bharti’s commitment to enrich the communication experience of Airtel users,” Kapoor said.

Leading cell phone makers like Nokia, Motorola and Samsung have stepped up their R&D efforts to bring feature-rich phones in India to compete iPhone.