Apple officially launches iPhone 5 in India

Apple has officially launched the iPhone 5 in India today as scheduled. Apple's newest iPhone enters India after it was launched first on September 21 in chosen markets across the globe. 

Officially in India

The pre-orders for the new flagship smartphone from Apple had started a few days ago. The company's distribution partners in India had issued announcements that the iPhone 5 will land on shelves today, November 2. However, those wanting to purchase the iPhone 5 today should not get their hopes up. Sources within Apple’s official retail channels have informed us that only those who pre-ordered the handset would receive it today, while others will have to wait up to nearly two weeks.

Sources have informed us that the number of handsets that have arrived in the first batch in India is very small. The chances of being able to buy a handset at an official Apple retail store are slim, but not zero. Airtel is offering a range of data plans for the iPhone 5 starting today. As per an official statement by Airtel, the data plans will enable customers to connect to its HSPA+ and DC-HSPA networks with Wideband Audio.

Airtel's plans for iPhone 5 out

Customers who have pre-ordered the handset can head over to the outlets and pick up the iPhone 5 handset. Though the iPhone 5 is in limited supply, potential customers could try their luck at one of the Apple resellers. 

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

The grey market is still flooded with iPhone 5 units, which do not seem to be in short supply. The smartphone is selling at a premium in the grey market, with the top-of-the-line version priced as high as Rs 67,000.

Redington, one of the distributors of the iPhone 5 in India, revealed the prices of the handset with the base model (16GB) being launched for Rs 45,500. The 32GB version of the iPhone 5 will be available for Rs 52,500, and the 64GB model for Rs 59,500. These prices are more or less on par with the iPhone 4S from the previous generation, when it was first launched in India.

Ingram Micro has recently announced that it will offer the Apple iPhone 5 at leading trade stores and retail outlets across India beginning on Friday, November 2. It was recently reported that in order to expand its user base in India, Apple will start selling the iPhone 5 through specialised distribution companies. Apple has tied up with Ingram Micro Inc, which is a large US-based distributor of technologies, as well as Redington India Ltd, a local distributor with 12,000 smaller partners across the country.

For the entire buzz on the iPhone 5 go here.