Get ready, India! Akash Ambani will launch iPhone 8 and 8 Plus on Friday

MUMBAI: Akash Ambani, the Ambani scion who is on the board of of Reliance Jio Infocomm (Jio) will roll out the Iphone 8 and 8 Plus on Friday noon in the telco’s headquarters in Navi Mumbai . Chairman of Reliance Industries Mukesh Ambani and CEO of Apple-Tim Cook will addres the congergation via video messages.

The newly launched phones from stables of Apple will be available for purchase from September 29 onwards at a starting price of Rs 64,000.

Apple has widened its horizon for partnerships with new telco entrant Jio, and its sister arm Reliance Retail and the latest iPhones will come with assured buyback if people buying the handsets take up Jio connections of Rs 799 a month. Jio did not respond to ET’s query on the same.

In a first, the partnership is being done for both online and offline by roping in ecommerce major Amazon. Reliance Digital and Amazon will officially sell the iPhones offering assured buyback value of 70% when people upgrade to the next iPhones that come up next year.


(Image: Reuters)

The move will ensure that iPhone buyers stay as Jio customers paying monthly Rs 799 for next 12 months, giving it much-needed high value customers. Jio is also allowing its customers to pre-book these iPhones from its website and the Jio stores.

In addition, customers will get Rs 10,000 cashback on the day of the launch, when they use a Citibank Credit Card to purchase the phone.

Apple will start selling the iPhone 8 series on September 29, while the iPhone X will be available from November 3, about two weeks after Diwali, when festive season sales typically peak. Apple’s tenth anniversary edition of the iPhone, the iPhone X, will be available at a starting price of Rs 89,000 from November 3, along with China and the US.


(Image: Reuters)

To avail the buyback offer, customers buying these new iPhones, either offline from Reliance Digital or online Amazon, will have to get themselves enrolled for an iPhone upgrade after 12 months, then Amazon or Reliance Digital will return 70% of the cost and adjust the price in the new iPhone when it comes in 2018, effectively giving consumers a discount.

Further, the conditions are that customer will have to continue to use Jio connection, spend Rs 799 each month, and to have the phone exchanged from Amazon and Reliance Digital only. Existing Jio users can also avail this offer by changing their calling plan.

Under the new iPhone plan, Jio is offering 90 GB of data per month. The plan can be availed by both prepaid and postpaid customers.