Apple i Phone 6&6 Plus Just like in the US and elsewhere, retailers will start selling new phones at midnight.With record pre-launch orders for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, Apple will start midnight sales for its devices in India for the first time, in line with the practice it follows elsewhere. The phones are to be launched in India on October 17.
Above 5,000 of the new handsets have been reserved at Apple stores, multi-brand retail chains and e-commerce sites in the last two days, according to three senior trade executives.Sales to those who have booked the phones will start midnight at The MobileStore, UniverCell, Planet M Retail and Sangeetha Mobiles outlets besides Apple stores. "The craze about iPhones is for the first time felt in India like in the West," said Himanshu Chakrawarti, CEO, The Mobile Store. "The exclusivity to own the first lot of iPhones before others is huge, much like when a Salman Khan movie releases or how consumers used to rush at midnight to buy the first lot of Harry Potter books."
Videocon-owned PlanetM Retail's chief executive Sanjay Karwa said the midnight launch will ensure traditional offline retailers have the advantage over online retail, which is creating market disruptions."Midnight launch is a new concept in India and Apple's move will ensure brick-and-mortar customers receive the handset first. We will keep a few of our stores open past midnight to fulfill all orders, since getting permission for that is also a hassle," Karwa said.
Trade sources said Infibeam, Apple's sole authorised online seller for iPhones in India, has clocked the highest number of bookings - in excess of 2,000 with big demand from companies and smaller towns. The maximum orders are for the 128 GB iPhone 6 priced at Rs 71,500.
