The 8GB iPhone 5c has launched in India earlier than anticipated, according to the Times of India. The official retail price is 37,500 rupees, but Apple is said to be discounting that to 33,500 ($572). On top of this the company is offering a free case, but only as a limited-time bonus.
Although it has been making inroads, the Indian cellphone market has proven difficult for Apple. Phones are typically sold contract-free in the country, making even older iPhones too expensive for most people. To get around this the company has tried a number of tactics, even going as far as to briefly resurrect the iPhone 4.
The 8GB 5c is available in a handful of other countries for the same reason. The 5c in general, though, has not been selling as well as Apple anticipated. Critics have complained that the 5c is effectively just an iPhone 5 repackaged in a plastic shell, as opposed to a genuinely new and low-cost device.
