Apple is preparing to launch the iPhone 4S in several new countries, including Colombia, India, Russia and Taiwan, reports 9to5Mac. The 4S will on sale tonight at midnight in Colombia, with Russia and Taiwan expected to receive it between early and mid-December in time for the holiday season.
Additionally, the Russian iPhone 4S will be equipped with GLONASS (Global Navigation Satellite System), the Russian version of GPS operated by the Russian Space Forces. It will go on sale in India tomorrow.
India is proving to be a problematic market for Apple, however. The iPhone 4 and iPad 2 arrived late in June 2011, and it is expected that many will be priced out of buying the new iPhone, especially considering that the iPhone 4 was only just released in June.
The prices for the 4S in India is pretty outrageous: unsubsidized it costs 44,500 rupees, or approximately $865. Compare that to the price of a basic SIM-free iPhone 4S in the U.S ($649) and it’s pretty shocking.