16GB iPhone 4S price slashed, now available for Rs 38,500

One of the biggest indications that Apple may launch the iPhone 5 in India in the near future could be that the price of the previous-generation 16GB iPhone 4S had been slashed to Rs 41,500 around 10 days ago, while that of the iPhone 4 to Rs 28,300. Our sources within the official Apple retail chain have now confirmed that the prices of the iPhone models have been slashed even further. The 16GB iPhone 4S is now priced at Rs 38,500, and the iPhone 4 at Rs 26,500.

The iPhone 4S, though a year old is still an attractive option, that is if you do not mind a smaller display compared to the mammoth sized ones available now. The handset supports all the features of iOS 6 which makes it an option worth considering if an iPhone is the handset you are looking to purchase.

iPhone 4S now available at a lower price

The iPhone 4 would do pretty well in India, if it got a price tag of around Rs 20,000. The iPhone 3GS too was priced at around Rs 20,000 when the iPhone 4S was announced in India.

India has very little to benefit from iOS 6. Though the improvements in Siri and Maps are the highlights of the latest software update, users in India can feel quite constrained, as these two features do not work all in India yet. However, the major benefit for the iPhone 4S could be FaceTime over cellular networks, something that the iPhone 4 cannot do.

Here is a quick look at the highlighted features of the iPhone 5:

• 4-inch, 326ppi Retina display at 1136 x 640 pixels,
• GPRS, EDGE, EV-DO, HSPA, HSPA+, DC-HSDPA, LTE and Wi-Fi
• GPS
• Bluetooth
• 8-megapixel camera with 1080p HD recording, 720p front-facing camera
• 16GB, 32GB and 64GB versions

Made entirely out of aluminium and glass, the iPhone 5 weighs 112 grams, and is 20 percent lighter than the iPhone 4S, and is the thinnest iPhone yet at 7.6mm. Apple has chosen to debut iOS 6 with the iPhone 5. The new OS includes Apple's own Maps app, an updated version of Siri and lots more. Overall, the new iPhone has been upgraded in almost all respects.

One of the biggest changes to iOS is the addition of Apple’s own Maps app in the place of Google Maps. The new Maps app has a built-in search for local points of interest, with over 100 million possible suggestions. Other features of the Maps app include navigation, routing, 3D maps, satellite imagery – that wraps around the 3D maps – and the ability to get directions directly through Siri. Most of the standard features of the Maps app, including satellite view, are available in almost all countries the iPhone ships to.