The iPhone 5 has been out for over a month now in most countries, and now India will be joining the club. Without a big to-do about it, Apple has quietly contacted customers in India to let them know that the iPhone 5 is finally launching.
With this iPhone release, Apple has chosen to make deals with new distributors in India. Apple has directed customers in India to buy the iPhone from its carrier partners Bharti Airtel and Aircel. Airtel has officially begun selling the iPhone 5 in India, but Aircel has a product page for the handset but with no apparent way to buy it.
It seems that Indian carriers aren’t prepared for the onslaught of iPhone 5 buyers as a number of them have told The Times of India that they would have nano-SIM cards in stock. Kinda makes it hard to sell a phone that works, no?
Apple’s progress in India has lagged somewhat compared to other countries, but it’s starting to catch up in some ways. For example, last month the App Store in India starting showing prices in Indian rupees instead of US dollars.
Apple’s plan is to release the iPhone 5 in 100 countries on over 200 carriers by the end of this year. Apple was pretty aggressive with this plan at the initial launch, but has since slowed down somewhat.
Image Credit: Cult of Mac