Apple iPad Air launch: Mumbaikars queue up to buy the device


Saturday, Dec 7, 2013, 14:27 IST | Place: Mumbai | Agency: DNA Web Team
Apple is introducing the new iPads to India soon after Google launched the second-generation Nexus 7 tablet in the country.
Apple is rolling out the slick iPad Air and the new iPad mini today in India. The devices are already listed on the Apple website with the prices. The starting price of the new iPad Air is Rs 35,900, whereas the retina display iPad costs Rs 28,900.
The launch event took place in many parts of India. In Mumbai, the event is being held at Lower Parel's Phoenix Mills where Apple loyalists are queuing up to get a hold of the devices.
All variants of the iPad Air and the new iPad Mini are available. Customers are required to buy a coupon and stand in line to get their device.
The iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C were launched in the same grandeur manner. The response for the two devices was phenomenal. The phones were sold out in a matter of 3 hours from the Mumbai venue. Apple is hoping for the same welcoming response for these new tablets.
The first Mumbaikar to buy the iPad Air was Firoz Mistry from Pali Hill. He was standing in line since 1pm and was pleased to finally be able to get his iPad. "I only buy Apple products. When I got to know about the iPad Air, I could not wait for it to come to India," he said. Mistry bought the 128 GB variant of iPad Air claiming he will be using it mainly for work.

Firoze Mistry
When informed about other cheaper substitutes available in the market he completely discarded the idea calling himself a true-blue Apple guy.
Phoenix mills was filled with many loyalists like Mistry all waiting patiently in the queue for the sales to commence. Customers also got to see and use the device before making a purchase decision at the demo corner set up by Apple.


The sales figures will be known by the end of the day.
The devices were announced on October 22 and were released in US on November 1. The iPad Air was announced during a keynote at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts on October 22. The theme of the keynote was named 'We still have a lot to cover.
The iPad Air marks the first major design change for the iPad since the iPad 2; it now has a thinner design that is 7.5 millimeters thick and has a smaller screen bezel similar to the iPad Mini.
iPad Air prices
StorageWifi onlyWifi +4G
16GB Rs 35,900 Rs 44,900
32GB Rs 42,900 Rs 51,900
64GB Rs 49,900 Rs 58,900
128GB Rs56,900 Rs 65,900

iPad mini with Retina display prices
StorageWifi onlyWifi +4G
16GB Rs 28,900 Rs 37,900
32GB Rs 35,900 Rs 44,900
64GB Rs42,900 Rs 51,900
128GB Rs49,900 Rs 58,900
No reports on promotional activities around the new iPad models are in yet. Information regarding buyback schemes on old iPads and tablets, cash-back offer and EMI schemes are still yet to materialise. However, a report on ET, does suggest that the US major does plan to incorporate similar deals that were introduced during the iPhone launch as the strategy was positively welcomed and garnered many sales in the country.
iPad Air will compete against the likes of Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 edition) and Sony Xperia Tablet Z in the Indian market.
The box  of the iPad Air contains the charger and the device. All the other accessories can be bought from the Apple Store. The iPad Air is available in black and white.

Whereas the Retina iPad mini will compete with the second-generation Google Nexus 7 (Rs 20,999 for the 16GB variant) and Samsung Galaxy Note 510 (Rs 30,900 for the 16GB variant).
Apple promises up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi, watching video, or listening to music and up to 9 hours of surfing the web using cellular data network on both the devices.
Key features of the iPad Air
* It is just 7.5mm thick and weighs 454g, making it the thinnest and lightest full-sized iPad to date.
* The 64-bit A7 processor in the iPad Air has double the performance of the previous generation and adds performance and security benefits, along with potential reductions in complexity of both hardware and software, which should aid reliability.
* 9.7-inch screen (diagonally) display diagonally.
* M7 motion co-processor.
* Where graphics are concerned, the iPad Air is 72 times faster than the original iPad in GPU performance, according to Apple.
* 5 megapixels camera and a 1.2 megapixel front camera.
* MIMO (multiple-input and multiple-output) wireless technology which uses multiple antennas at both the transmitter and receiver for better connectivity. However the iPad Air is still using the 802.11n standard, and not the latest Wi-Fi 802.11n ac version.

Key features of the new iPad mini
* The iPad mini stays the same size as the previous generation, but receives the retina display and A7 processor of its bigger sibling.
* 8 7.9-inch tablet's screen display.
* The screen resolution is now 2048x1536 resolution at 326 pixels per inch (ppi) which is way better than the previous version which had a 163 ppi screen resolution.
*  The camera is still the same at 5 megapixels but the mini now has an improved 1.2 megapixel camera for FaceTime on the front.
* M7 motion co-processor.
The launch event for Mumbai is being held at Phoenix mills, Lower Parel. The company's distributor Ingram Micro will begin the event at 5pm. Watch this space for fist look of both the devices and more details of the launch event as it happens.
Watch this video to know more about the iPad Air: