iPhone5 could sell at Rs 75,000 in grey market

Have already started taking deposits, despite being clueless about the launch date

Apple enthusiasts may not need to wait till the official launch of iPhone5 in India. Courtesy -- grey market.

Handset sellers in grey market say that they will deliver within a week from September 21 when Apple rolls out its latest offering in the US market. Naturally, it comes with a premium. “It will be upwards of Rs 75,000 for sure,” they said. And, the deposit is half of the quoted price.

However, Apple resellers in India are clueless about the expected launch date of iPhone5 in local market.

Apple, which launched the sixth iPhone in the US yesterday, has not yet said anything about the product’s India launch, or the price. However, resellers expect the product to be in the local market in the first half of November. “We have been receiving huge calls and footfalls in store have increased since yesterday. Everybody is asking about the avaibability of iPhone5,” said an Apple reseller in New Delhi.

“We are making a separate list of the visitors asking about the iPhone5 availability. Give your details with number. We will inform you as soon as we get any official release date,” said two Apple resellers in New Delhi.

However, they believe that there would be a clear hint in 15-20 days. “Give a call later this month,” they said. As of today, no Apple reseller is accepting any pre-booking.

But, the scene in the grey market is completely different. Some handset sellers have already started taking deposits for iPhone5 promising that they will deliver the product within a week after the product is available in the US market on September 21.

According to Apple statement, iPhone5 will be available in US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and the UK markets from September 21.

“Believe me. I have delivered Apple’s earlier products to my customers earlier much before the company started selling the products in India,” claimed a shop owner at Delhi’s Khan market.

There is even no indication on pricing for India market. Apple resellers expect that the new product is likely to be priced slightly higher than iPhone4.

iPhone 5’s US pricing for the is $199 for 16GB model, $299 for 32GB model and 64GB will retail at $399. The pre-order starts on September 14.

The product would be rolled out worldwide in 22 more countries on September 28. But the list does not include India.