Why You Shouldn’t Pre-Order the iPhone 6 or 6 Plus

If you’re an iPhone enthusiast, the mega-announcement that Apple’s authorised resellers (and some online retailers) are taking pre-orders for both the new iPhones from the seventh of this month wouldn’t have escaped you.

We can understand your excitement and empathise with your temptation. We’re equally excited too. However, at the risk of sounding like party-poopers, we strongly advise you NOT to pre-order your iPhone. Here’s why.

Before you move on, please read this disclaimer first.

If you’re among the select few who have vowed to get the new iPhone within the first couple of days of its launch (because your life depends on it) or you have enough zeros in your bank account to justify buying the iPhone at any cost (literally!), skip this article.

The mere mortals of this world, on the other hand, please pay attention. These are the reasons why we’re asking you to exercise some patience.

The first thing to take note of is the fortuitous timing of the launch. As you must’ve read, retailers had to push Apple really hard to launch the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus before Diwali. Because, for buyers, it’s the peak sale season; the time some of the best discounts are offered.

Yes, we know that the possibility of direct discounts being offered on these iPhones is slimmer than the handsets you are aspiring to buy. However, we are confident that that several exchange offers and interest-free EMI incentives will be announced. Pre-ordering the iPhone will deny you these benefits. Besides, waiting for a good EMI scheme might allow you to order the 64GB version instead of the basic 16GB one. That’s a good enough incentive to wait, right?

Another thing to consider is that these iPhones are a brand new design, unlike anything that Apple has come out with before. You might say, ‘That’s the point, dummy!’. Agreed. But hear us out, will ya?

No matter how many pictures or videos you may have seen, there’s no way you’ll be able to recreate the feeling of holding the real phone in your hand. Moreover, the ambiguity gets multiplied when you have two new designs instead of one. The touch, the look, the feel of the device has to be experienced in order to make the final decision.

Yesterday we visited one of our ‘sources’ and saw both the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 plus in flesh and blood … errr, metal and glass, we mean. Within seconds, our perceived preference for 6 plus changed into a confirmed commitment for the iPhone 6. Just a few minutes of playing around with the handset, slipping it into our pocket (and looking for an escape route out of the shop!) told us which phone we would be spending the next couple of years of our life with.

Something like this can happen to you as well. You have decided not to buy the 6 Plus because it’s too big. However, once you see the phone for yourself, you may just decide that the size is a minor compromise for the amazing improvements you get over smaller version.

Therefore, we strongly recommend that you check out both models in person before taking the final call. After all, it’s no small decision. You’re spending more than half a lakh, maybe more, on this handset.

Lastly, the whole pre-ordering process is dicey. We went to 4 to 5 stores yesterday and all had different stories and promises. Some are asking for a token deposit that varied from Rs. 2,000 to Rs. 10,000 in return for which we received only predictions (not confirmation) of delivery within first 2-3 days of the launch.

Only one retailer asked for the complete payment in advance and mercifully promised delivery on the day of the launch. However, the claim was dampened by a couple of big retail stores that weren’t taking any pre-orders at all. They said since Apple hadn’t given stock confirmation to any retailer, they didn’t want to fool their customers with false assurances. As can be expected, it’s a classic retail mess!

Please remember that this is the first time Apple is officially taking pre-orders in India. There’s bound to be a lot of confusion and slip-ups. It’s best to wait till the system is streamlined, which, unfortunately, won’t happen for the next couple of years.

Till that time, let’s stick to what we do best – go to at least a dozen outlets to drool over the iPhones, haggle for prices, hopelessly ask for discounts, and negotiate the best EMI and exchange deal. It still works the best for Indians!