Apple makes iPhone more affordable in India with discount and EMI schemes

Despite being premium priced, the iPhone is a hot product in India. It has been facing some stiff competition from other flagship smartphone makers like HTC and Samsung. In order to make the iPhone more accessible to consumers, Apple has come up with a bunch of schemes that is making the iPhone an attractive purchase.

Student who trade in their old smartphone for an iPhone will receive a discount of Rs. 7,777. If you are not a student, fear not. You will still receive a discount of Rs. 7,000 for trading in your old smartphone.

If you purchase the iPhone via your American express card, you will receive 10% cash back. If you are an American Express card user, you will get cash back of Rs. 6,000 on the purchase of an iPhone 4, 4S or 5 before June 10. This information is advertised in local newspapers all over the country. You can also avail the American Express installment offer at Redington and Ingram Micro distributor outlets. So, if you purchase an iPhone 5 (16GB), you will receive Rs. 4,550 on six monthly installments of Rs. 2,374. You will have to pay Rs. 9,990 rupees as a down payment.

BlackBerry a company struggling to keep its head above water too has introduced EMI schemes to boost the sales of its entry level BlackBerry Curve 9220 and the recently launched flagship BlackBerry Z10.

You can pick up a BlackBerry Curve 9220 at an EMI of Rs. 799 per month for 12 months and the Z10 can be yours for an EMI of Rs. 4799 for a period of 9 months. You can figure out which store near you has the BlackBerry smartphones on offer by sending an SMS - BBEMI <city or pin-code> to 575758.

Samsung too has a series of offers for its smartphone product lineup. You can catch the details of Samsung’s offers here.

Source: http://www.thinkdigit.com/Mobiles-PDAs/Apple-makes-iPhone-more-affordable-in-India_14736.html

iOS 6.1 Beta 5 code suggests a 128GB iOS device may be on its way

We have been hearing about this on and off for quite some while now, and even before the launch of the third generation iPad, that the 128GB capacity iPad and iPhones will be available soon, for the lack of any substantive proof.

However, things seem to be clearing out with the release of the iOS 6.1 Beta 5 that was sent out to developers. There seems to be a clear reference to a 128GB capacity device in the manifest. The screen-grab of the manifest suggests SystemPartitioningPadding key will also support 128GB storage, along with the existing examples of 8GB, 16GB, 32GB and 64GB.

Incidentally, hints of a 128GB device had also been dropped with iTunes 11, but no device has walked out of the door at Cupertino just yet, at least not that we know of.

It would make sense to have a 128GB iPad, both in the Wi-Fi only and the Wi-Fi + 3G versions. The 64GB Wi-Fi version of the iPad currently retails for around Rs 43900, while the Wi-Fi + 3G version costs Rs 51900. Do keep in mind that at Rs 51900, the 64GB iPad is Rs 6000 more than the 32GB version. It would be easier for Apple to absorb and justify the higher price with a hardware package that is bigger than the iPhone.


Source: http://www.thinkdigit.com/Tablets/iOS-61-Beta-5-code-suggests-a_13216.html

Nokia readying a 10.1 inch iPad competitor?

If rumours are to be believed (which they should only be with a pinch of salt), it would seem that Nokia is preparing a 10.1 inch tablet for a February 2013 reveal. It would seem that Nokia has been in talks with Qualcomm for their Snapdragon S4 processor to power the tablet.

The rumour around the supply-chain sector is that Nokia was preparing for a Q1-20122 launch for their 10.1 inch tablet, but were dissuaded by Microsoft’s push into the segment with the Surface. The testing of the tablets was assigned to ODM Compal, but then was called off in light of Microsoft focusing on its own slate coupled up with the uncertainty that surrounded the fate of Windows 8.

It would seem that Nokia is now convinced just enough to start work on their own iPad competitor again, as insiders suggest that talks between Nokia, Microsoft, Qualcomm and ODM Compal have resumed with the aim of having a working prototype ready for a reveal at Mobile World Congress in February 2013.

Up until now (and possibly till the tablet is official), Nokia maintains that it will continue to carefully monitor the tablet segment, and that a tablet from Nokia will only enter the market if it’s “uniquely Nokia.” Given Microsoft’s strict guidelines about not making any alterations to the Windows 8 OS, Nokia would probably only be left with the option of playing around with the hardware, and we have seen that Nokia has done a great job on that front with the Lumia phones. Nokia could also get an advantage over the Surface if it packs in 3G/4G radios along with offering higher storage options than Microsoft’s own.

Whether the rumours of a Nokia tablet coming out next year are real or not, one cannot deny that the lack of a tablet in the Nokia portfolio has left a gap in the company’s offering.


Source: http://www.thinkdigit.com/Tablets/Nokia-readying-a-101-inch-iPad-competitor_11833.html

Apple iPad mini and 4th gen iPad now available in India

Apple latest generation of tablets – the iPad mini and the 4^th generation iPad – are up for grabs online in India today. An advertisement is doing the rounds in major newspapers in the country, signifying the release of the iPad mini tablet in India.

The information of the launch of the tablet however was not communicated to us via Apple’s PR. The advertisement shows the availability of the product in iWorld stores, which is a premium reseller of Apple products.

Users who wish to purchase the tablet can also do so from online retailers such as saholic.com or flipkart.com, which have listed the device as available. Both sites claim the tablets will be delivered in 4 to 6 business days.

The pricing of the iPad mini is as follows:

• Apple iPad mini (16GB Wi-Fi): Rs. 21,900
• Apple iPad mini (16GB Wi-Fi + 3G): Rs. 29,900
• Apple iPad mini (32GB Wi-Fi): Rs. 27,900
• Apple iPad mini (32GB Wi-Fi + 3G): Rs. 35,900
• Apple iPad mini (64GB Wi-Fi): Rs. 33,900
• Apple iPad mini (64GB Wi-Fi + 3G): Rs. 41,900

The pricing for the iPad 4th gen is as follows:

• Apple iPad 4th gen (16GB - Wi-Fi): Rs. 31,900
• Apple iPad 4th gen (16GB – Wi-Fi + 3G): Rs. 39,900
• Apple iPad 4th gen (32GB – Wi-Fi): Rs. 37,900
• Apple iPad 4th gen (32GB Wi-Fi + 3G): Rs. 45,900
• Apple iPad 4th gen (64GB Wi-Fi): Rs. 43,900
• Apple iPad 4th gen (64GB Wi-Fi +3G): Rs. 51,900

If you are interested in picking up the iPad mini, you can read our review of the device here.

If the 4^th gen iPad is your weapon of choice, then take a look at our review of the device here.

One thing that must be noted that we have four models of the iPad available in India - the iPad 2, iPad third generation, fourth generation and the mini available in India.

The pricing of the third generation iPad in India is as follows.

• Apple iPad 3rd gen (16GB - Wi-Fi): Rs. 28,900
• Apple iPad 3rd gen (16GB – Wi-Fi + 3G): Rs. 36,900
• Apple iPad 3rd gen (32GB – Wi-Fi): Rs. 34,800
• Apple iPad 3rd gen (32GB Wi-Fi + 3G): Rs. 42,900
• Apple iPad 3rd gen (64GB Wi-Fi): Rs. 40,900
• Apple iPad 3rd gen (64GB Wi-Fi +3G): Rs. 48,900
  
  

You can read our review of the third generation iPad here

Source: http://www.thinkdigit.com/Tablets/Apple-iPad-mini-and-4th-gen-iPad_11672.html