SingTel to sell faster next-gen iPhone this year
Consumers can expect to pay about $270, much less than the first version sold elsewhere
By Chua Hian HouTHE new version of the iPhone unveiled by Apple boss Steve Jobs on Monday will be on sale here this year and probably at around half the price of the original.
This will please Singapore buyers who have not been able to buy the original iPhone from an official dealer here since its launch a year ago.
As fancy mobile phones go, the Apple device proved an instant hit despite its US$600 (S$820) price tag last year because of its sleek design, revolutionary touch screen and nifty Internet and e-mail access.
Aside from being considerably cheaper, the new 3G model will enable users to download data twice as fast as the original.
SingTel announced yesterday that it will be the first to launch the new version here.
But when? The telco would only say: ‘Later this year.’
StarHub spokesman Michael Sim said the telco expects to sell the phone eventually while MobileOne is in talks with Apple.
This means Singapore buyers are nowhere near the front of the queue as the new phone will be available in 22 markets, including the United States, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand and Mexico, from July 11.
Analyst Nathan Burley of consulting firm Ovum expects it here not long after, and said the delay is probably because of Singapore’s small size.
SingTel did not say anything about the price, but Mr Burley believes it will go for near its US price of US$199 - $270 - after operator discounts.
Mobile phones are usually sold at a discount, but subscribers must sign two-year contracts to get the subsidy.
The original iPhone never had an official seller here, but an estimated 60,000 iPhones still arrived. Some people imported them, others bought them on the grey market for up to S$800 apiece.
They were not brought in by mobile operators reportedly because Apple demanded a cut of revenues in exchange for the right to sell.
But it has scrapped this demand for the new version, opening the way for more than one seller here.
The new phone’s price, half that of the original, reflects Apple’s desire to increase its mass market appeal, said Mr Burley.
It may be harder to sell, not least because there are many more similar-looking devices with similar features today than when the original iPhone burst on the scene last year.
‘Since the new one doesn’t look very different, those who want it to make a fashion statement might not be interested in upgrading,’ said Mr Burley.
Even the iPhone 3G’s sharply discounted price could work against it, especially as a large part of its appeal was that it was an expensive, hard-to-get premium product.
A wait-and-see approach might be best. As StarHub’s Mr Sim put it: ‘Smart consumers will know that the best deals will arrive when all three operators are marketing the iPhone.’
Iphone is next gen? It has been around and remain pretty much unchanged for very long! And 3G? I ask you, how many of you are using non-3G phone? Even my M600i that is no longer in production (a very very very old phone) is 3G enabled. Apple is slow in putting out a 3G Iphone. The newspaper should have the headline, “Apple releases 3G Iphone… finally!”
Almost every iPod Touch and iPhone out in the street is Jailedbreaked. Jailbreak is a nicer name for “hacked” or modified, which allows the user to install tonnes of 3rd party applications and games on the phone, making it more useful and not just a pretty face. Jailbreaking is considered illegal. Why do you have to break the law in order to enjoy such an expensive product. iPhone has legal applications that can be installed on them, but most cost money.
Ok ok, it is no longer expensive, with its astonishing price drop that would make early buyers cringe. Why the sudden price drop and the strong push?
Because a truly Next Generation phone is on the way, that strongly rivals iPhone (or should I say pwn the iPhone), and most Singaporeans don’t even know about its existence. Technically speaking, it is not a phone. It is a phone operating system that can be installed on the phone. It can be used by any phone manufacturers, meaning, Sony, Nokia, Samsung can all produce phones with the same operating system to drive up competition and drive prices down. This operating system is also by the very company whose website every internet savvy Singaporeans visit on a daily basis. This company also cooperated with Apple to enable the best features of iPhone: Youtube, Maps, Search etc.
Welcome Google. Welcome to Goole Android. It is an open source 3G enabled operating system that can be installed on phones of any brands with the relevant hardware. It has more features than iPhone, similar gesture powered interface that we all love, and because it is open source, anyone can modify it to their liking, and people need not break the law in order to install 3rd party (free!!!). Because it is based on Linux, you will have no worries that the open source community will churn out tonnes of exciting software for it. Words alone cannot describe everything. It’s time for a little demo.
Singapore, being a government proclaimed “IT hub” has a mainstream media that fails terribly to bring to Singaporeans the latest breakthrough and innovations in IT.
3G iPhone as next-gen? Pui!!
For more information regarding the Android OS, an Open Handset Alliance Project, click here .
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