Apple fans in the country are a disenchanted lot these days. As the company?s new iPhone?its fourth in four years?hit the stores in the US, Japan, France, Germany and the UK last week, there is no mention as to when it will be made available in India. In January this year too, when Apple introduced its iPad tablet computer with its much-talked multi-touch interface, India finds no place in the launch schedule till date.

To add to the heartburn among Indian customers, the American company claims to have sold an astonishing three million iPads in just 80 days after its introduction in the US. In addition to the US market, the widely popular computing device is available in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK. Starting next month, the product will be available in nine more countries?Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand and Singapore.

Sadly (for Apple fans in India), India is nowhere in the priority list of Apple?s CEO, Steve Jobs. ?We?re working hard to get this magical product into the hands of even more people around the world, including those in nine more countries next month. We appreciate their patience, and are working hard to build enough iPads for everyone.?

But his remarks are hardly any consolation for die-hard Apple fans in the country. For early adopters, the only choice is to get it from aboard, or procure it from the grey market. Sources close to Apple inform that the company first fulfils the demand for its newly launched products in the US market. Its only when the US sales dwindle a bit that Apple considers a launch in other markets.

Past experiences have only added to the growing list of disillusioned Apple customers in the country.

Take the iPhone 3GS; the US launch was in June 2009, but Indian users could officially buy it only in March this year.

That?s not all. The more affordable iPod Nanos or iPod Shuffles might be readily available in Apple stores or numerous gadget shops in the country, but try getting your hand on the higher end versions of iPod Touch and you are sure to come back home disappointed.

?Not just products, there are issues in app stores too. With an Indian credit card, you cannot buy much on iTune stores. In fact, no media partnership is done so there is no music/video download available. I had to get my US friend?s card used for the same. Looks like Apple still takes West as the centre of universe,? says Vijay Shekhar Sharma, founder of mobile value added services firm One97 Communications. ?I do feel let down even though I call myself an Apple fan.?

A casual scrutiny of the Indian blogosphere too reveals the growing disappointment among Indian customers with the American company. Consider this: ?Indian Apple customers have forever been treated as second grade citizens, as the overlords gently throw around scraps of technology as a favour to the Indian customer. The 3GS even made its way into Uganda much before India, but no, Apple thinks we?re not good enough for superior products.?

Another anguished blogger laments: ?The iPad in India? I am not going to be waiting. I?ll try my best to secure it from abroad.? This blog is even more alarming and Apple better watch out: ?Overall, a pathetic situation for Apple consumers in India. Sooner or later, it will hurt Apple.?

There is growing unrest amongst a set of users, who are criticising Apple for secretive practices, arrogance and a vice-like grip on all things that concern their business or devices, informs Hitesh Raj Bhagat, associate editor, Living Digital, a digital lifestyle and technology portal. ?Take for example when a prominent tech blogger was arrested and his house raided by police just because he was in the possession of a pre-launch iPhone 4 (which he had gladly returned to Apple before the raid even happened).?

Why is that Apple, which sold 8.75 million iPhones and 10.89 million iPods during the second quarter ended March 27, 2010, launches its products in India with considerable delay? The company might be US-centric, but international sales accounted for 58% of the quarter?s revenue. Does it mean that the fast-growing Indian mobile market is not high on the priority list of the company?

?I had a word with Vodafone?s device business head and according to him, no Indian operator places large orders. Only a few thousand units are asked for by Indian telcos. Apple ships based on high demand first supply. Therefore, it does seem like a supply and demand situation,? says Sharma.

Taron Mohan, founder of Phoneytunes.com, says, ?In my opinion, Apple has always been a very high-end product and

India is not a very high volume market for the company. For Apple, India is a very small market and it does not really affect them if there is a launch delay here. In fact, it took Apple over 10 years to ?officially? bring the Apple Store into India and officially provide services to Apple products imported by consumers directly into India.?

As such, Apple products are now about 3-8 months behind the official launch in the US to come to India, Mohan informs. ?Some are never introduced here. Movies are now released almost simultaneously primarily to counter piracy and also the market now is getting a little better for them in India.?

According to Mohan, the American market is a very high decibel market for good products and Apple builds the hype around all their products which is recognised and reciprocated by none other than the US consumer. ?The same will not be there anywhere else,? he says.

?There are a lot more Apple fanatics in the US and Europe than in India. We?re talking about people who will camp outside an Apple store for days before a new product is launched, just to be amongst the first few owners. All efforts therefore, are directed towards fulfilling that initial rush. Its only when the US sales start to dwindle a bit that Apple considers an international launch,? says Bhagat. ?Tragically, India has always been low on the priority list for Apple.?

A recent survey by telecom journal Voice & Data reveals that Indian mobile handset brands like Max, Micromax, Karbonn, Lava, Lemon and Spice added up to 14% market share by revenue in India?s mobile handset market in 2009-10. The handsets in question are locally branded models sourced from manufacturers in China or Taiwan. A major reason for their growing popularity: Low prices for perceived high-end features. Nokia and Samsung still make up about 70% of the total market by revenue.

Isn?t it time for Apple, which reinvented the PC with the Macintosh and continues to lead the industry with iPods, iPhones and App Store, to redefine its focus towards fast growing markets such as India for future growth?