Apple 3G iphone hit the market in India on Thursday.The third generation Apple iPhone was introduced in India by Bharti Airtel and Vodafone.Reportedly,Vodafone was selling its phones at 11 stores across Delhi initially, while Bharti was selling it only at the Shahara Mall. But,the phone will be available shortly through 250 vodafone stores in 50 cities across India and Bharti airtell will ensure the availability of the iphone in more than 65 cities. Moreover,the Apple stores will also carry the product.

The 8 GB iPhone is priced at Rs 31,000 and the 16 GB iphone costs Rs 36,100. It appears rather expensive when compared to the US price.In the US,it costs around $199 which amounts to Rs 8400 when converted. In an attempt to defend their price,Sanjay Kapoor, president of mobile services Bharti Airtel, stated that the US price is subsidised as it comes with a two-year airtime contract.Hence,it is not fair to compare these rates.

Vodafone, however,has tied up with Axis Bank and Barclays to offer the phone on six or 12 equated monthly installments (EMIs) with a lower interest rate in order to make the product affordable for the customers. However,the customers are obligated to buy the iPhone on the credit cards of one of these banks.Bharti airtell has not come up with any plans for an EMI scheme as yet.

The multipurpose iPhone gadget combines the extra feature of an in-built GPS system,an iPod and a web browser. The Indian cell phone users might find that the usefulness of the iphone outweighs its price.