iPhone5 fever grips India

The world's most-anticipated smartphone, the iPhone 5, was launched in India on Friday to grand customer reception, with its prohibitive price-tag hardly deterring diehard Apple fans.

The iPhone5 is available in three memory sizes — 16 GB, 32 GB and 64GB — priced in India at ₹ 45,500, ₹ 52,500 and ₹ 59,500, respectively.

About 500 people jostled in a queue at south Delhi's DLF Place mall in a smaller replay of the iPhone craze seen in the US a month ago. Actor Neha Dhupia was also present to add a touch of Bollywood to the event.

"I have been standing in queue since 4pm," Abhishek, a Delhi University student, said after waiting for three hours to grab a prebooked 64GB version of the model. "I can't wait to hold the phone in my hands."

That Apple has already prebooked around 150,000 units over the past one month across India speaks volumes about the enthusiasm for its latest product.

The iPhone 5 has a 4-inch retina display and is around 20% lighter than the previous version.

"We had ordered 20,000 units of iPhone5 and all these will go to customers who have prebooked," an Apple store manager said. He added that from Sunday onwards, the iPhone5 would be available off the shelf.

This time, the Apple phone is not being bundled with a telecom service offer and is available across retail stores.