Apple to partner Vodafone, Airtel for iPhone 6s India launch

Apple is to tie-up with Bharti Airtel and Vodafone to launch its second generation iPhone 6s in India on October 16

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: Apple has roped in Bharti Airtel and Vodafone India to launch iPhone 6s in India on October 16.

The partnership with the telecos as vendors is expected to reduce the launch time in India to around three weeks from the time of the US launch which took place on September 25.

After the launch of iPhone 6 in the US, the company had taken more than a month in launching the popular phone in India. Indian consumers are likely to be offered data bundling or EMI schemes for purchasing the smartphone and pay the installments over a period of 12 or 24 months.

Industry sources said  that smartphone consumers may expect plans for device upgrades at the end of a 12-month cycle as significant number of smartphone users are found to be willing to switch-over to new iPhones launched.

It is not clear yet whether the vendors roped in would be selling the phone through an e-commerce partner or through their retail outlets. Large retail chains, Apple's Premium Resellers and big local stores like The Mobile Store, UniverCell have already started accepting pre-booking. Sources say the 16GB version of the iPhone 6s is likely to cost around Rs 62,000 while the iPhone 6s Plus with the same storage version will cost Rs 72,000.