| If the battery fails for any reason, you will not be able to get a replacement from either the grey market or elsewhere, which means your approximately Rs 30,000 (including the Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500 you shelled out for unlocking the phone), goes down the drain. |
| This is because Apple's iPhone battery replacement programme requires that you send the phone back to Apple in the US -- which you cannot if you have bought it from the grey market. |
| Apple's combination of voice, media player, and wireless web surfing device will be sold at around $500 for a 4 GB version (approx Rs 22,000) and $600 (Rs 25,500) for the 8 GB model. Apple has an exclusive tie-up with AT &T in the US. |
| The phone will work only with an AT&T Sim card. Customers have to pay both for the phone which ranges from $500 to $600 plus sign up a 2-year subscription contract (which will cost a minimum of US $ 59 a month) with AT&T. |
| Grey market dealers are promising to offer an unlocked iPhone (which will work on any network in India) for around Rs 30,000 for the entry level model, but the battery replacement clause comes as a dampener. |
| Apple says the iPhone battery will last for 300 to 400 charges before performance will start to decline""which generally is the case for any lithium-ion battery over time. Usually for other phones, you can get a replacement battery from a shop and change it yourself. |
| Incidentally, even for genuine iphone users, Apple's battery replacement programme will be an expensive affair. Apple will repair your iPhone for a service fee of $79, plus $6.95 shipping. The program cost is $85.95 per unit. All fees are in US dollars and are subject to local tax. Service may not be available if your iPhone has been damaged due to accident or abuse. |
| Besides, the repair process will clear all data from your iPhone. And the process normally takes three business days. |
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