Apple's latest smartphones iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus would be available in India from October 7 at a starting price of Rs 60,000, the US-based technology giant has said, while for the first time confirming the India pricing of the gadgets at the launch event itself.
The highly-anticipated latest iPhones with advancements such as stereo speakers, water and dust resistance technology and wireless headphones were launched by Apple CEO Tim Cook at a packed event in San Francisco yesterday.
The California-headquartered company also unveiled the next generation Apple Watch and updates to its App Store and operating system iOS10.
As widely speculated, Apple also introduced 'AirPods', wireless headphones for the new phone, eliminating the traditional headphone jack.
"iPhone is the industry gold standard, the phone by which all other smartphones are compared. The iPhone has become a truly a cultural phenomenon," Cook, dressed casually for the mega-event, said.
He said Apple has now sold over a billion iPhones, making it the "best selling product of its kind in the history of the world".
Announcing the new phone, Cook described the iPhone 7 as the "best iPhone that we have ever created".
iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will be available in more than 25 countries beginning September 16 and the products will be "available to customers in India beginning October 7".
The iPhone 7, with a 4.7 inch display, will cost USD 649 while the 5.5 inch iPhone7 Plus will come at a price tag of USD 769. The models will be available in silver, gold, rose gold and the new black finish in 32GB, 128GB and 256GB configurations.
The starting price would be Rs 60,000 for the 32GB iPhone model in India.
"iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus dramatically improve every aspect of the iPhone experience, reaching a new level of innovation and precision to make this the best iPhone we have ever made," Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing Philip Schiller said in his presentation.
He said Apple has inculcated the advanced 'A10 Fusion' chip in the new phones, "the most powerful chip on any smartphone while delivering the best battery life ever in an iPhone, and an entirely new stereo speaker system provides twice the sound, all within the first water and dust resistant iPhone".
The phones will also have an improved home button that lets users perform different tasks by varying how hard they press it, the company said.
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