When young professional Niranjan sold his motorcycle, college lad Selva Kumar took up a part-time job and his friend Senthilnathan placed his new laptop for sale, online. All this, last November, for one goal — to buy the iPhone 4S.
Now, the three youngsters are among a growing bunch of anxious Chennaiites waiting for Wednesday when mobile technology giant Apple unveils, what is widely speculated to be, its sixth generation iPhone in the US.
Interest in the latest model peaked after Apple reportedly sent out communication to media houses in the US that said, ‘It’s almost here’ displaying the number 12 which cast a shadow in the shape of the number 5.
“We are flooded with enquires by people who want to know if the Apple launch is that of the new iPhone. They want to know its India launch date,” says Rajesh Kumar, sales executive at Apple’s iStore on R.K. Salai. He is, however, unaware of the details of the launch, Mr. Rajesh says.
Sources with Apple India, too, seemed to be in the dark about the new product. “We assume it is the launch of the iPhone 5 as latest versions of the iPad and Mac have already been unveiled,” says an Apple India representative.
Apple’s previous product launches in India happened within a month or two of its launch in the US. The iPhone 5, too, is expected to roll out in the same fashion.
Tech blogs on the Internet expect the new Apple phone to be a Deepavali treat for India. Some anticipate it to reach the Indian market earlier than usual thanks to growing demand. As for its features, iPhone 5 will have a bigger screen, faster processer and an array of extra features, techies believe.
Most mobile service providers offering iPhone 4S on contract have temporarily stopped sales of the handset. Sources with Aircel say the model was taken off the shelves a month ago in anticipation of the new version.
Apple fans in Chennai have their fingers crossed for Wednesday night when San Francisco witnesses the launch of the first iPhone model since founder Steve Jobs’ demise last year.
