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- puddness, on 04/09/2008, -4/+61Its Good to be AUSSIE
- inactive, on 04/09/2008, -12/+57Some statistics:
6 million iPhone owners just realised they got ***** for the second time
4 million Apple fanboys just realised they need to find some excuse to delay paying their rent for the next two months
2 million Australians are setting up empty spots on their desks to place their new iPhones
1 million Malaysians are biting their elbows off because they can't wait for the iPhone to hit their shores anymore
500,000 people just realised it is humanly impossible to bite their elbows
1 dude is making a lot of money in June and...
Half the idiots reading this actually believed those statistics...
Oh yes, and a quarter of the idiots reading this just attempted to bite their elbows... - Cubedude04, on 04/09/2008, -0/+44Knowing Australias track record with electronics it will be twice as expensive
- mecharabbit, on 04/09/2008, -4/+43Will you have to rotate the screen in the opposite direction from the US version?
- Georgy, on 04/09/2008, -1/+38Unlocked? You lucky aussie bastards!
- g33kfu, on 04/09/2008, -2/+37And once again, Canada plays the neglected middle child...
- cmrn, on 06/19/2008, -4/+37OM NOM NOM NOM
- mechcon, on 04/09/2008, -1/+30about ***** time actually.. CANT WAIT! :D
- bonecones, on 04/09/2008, -0/+20IIRC Correctly it's pratically ilegal for the phone to be locked here in Australia. The phone can be locked, but if you ask for it the carrier is obligated to provide you the unlocking code.
- susiegb, on 04/09/2008, -0/+19yeay - unlocked means no contracts!!
- cmrn, on 06/19/2008, -4/+21Oh. My. *****. God.
YES! - Bigheadaus, on 04/09/2008, -0/+14Posted here because the site appears to be going down.
Australian iPhone Release Info Given to Resellers by Apple Australia
Rumours have been rampant for months since the launch of the iPhone in the USA back mid-2007 regarding Australia's chance to taste the iPhone. There have been many dates and leaks of false info, so much so that some people even think Australia is never going to get it. Today however, Apple have been informing resellers of their iPhone strategy for Australia.
Resellers have been informed of the following things:
· Last week of June release
· More than 1 carrier
· No contract lock in
· Current resellers will be able to sell iPhones
That's a lot of juicy info there and might not make sense off hand. Let me break down the significance of this.
Last week of June release
This ties in perfectly with the Sydney Apple store opening, any WWDC announcements, iPhone 2.0 software and time for stock to filter in to the country.
WWDC is in the first week of June this year, which could be the announcement of the 3G iPhone we're all waiting for. A 3G iPhone lends credence to the fact resellers have been told the iPhone will be on multiple carriers, as every telco in Australia has a 3G network. The current iPhone will only give high speed data on Telstra.
iPhone 2.0 software will be released then, and a late June release gives it time to be rolled out on new factory models for shipping to Australia, so the iPhone can be sold on the new features v2.0 brings.
A late June release also ties in well with the Sydney and Melbourne Apple stores currently under construction. It's well reported that at the progress of the Apple stores, a June opening is likely. What better grandstanding event to launch the store with than a new 3G iPhone? Would be be worthy of a visit to Australia from Steve Jobs - I'm sure he'd like to have a nice holiday in Sydney too.
Resellers have been told specific dates, but they have all been told different dates within the same week. If a specific date is said in the media, then Apple knows who leaks it and can slap them around. As the sources of my info are also my friends, I haven't included the dates. However, it is fairly certain Apple will not pre-announce the iPhone very far in advance, or at all, with a simple "iPhone is available now, come and buy it!" approach, compared to the dates given overseas to let people prepare.
More than 1 carrier
Having multiple carriers is a shock, but not unbelievable. Our telcos have been notoriously stubborn dealing with Apple, not seeing the potential benefits of having exclusivity of the device. It is highly likely Apple simply said "Seeing as you won't play with us, we'll give the iPhone to anyone who wants it, meaning you all lose out on exclusivity for your network".
More than 1 carrier also leads to the rumours of a 3G iPhone. In Australia, the only high speed network the current iPhone works on is Telstra's EDGE network. If Apple was to release the current model here in Australia, they would need to be exclusive to Telstra, or persuade another telco to upgrade their GSM network to EDGE to support it (like what O2 is doing in the UK). However, if a 3G iPhone is released, it won't matter, as all telcos have a 3G HSDPA network (either running on the 2100mhz or 850mhz frequency, both of which are supported by multiple 3G chipsets in mobile devices).
No contract lock in
No contract lock-in ties into the idea of multiple carriers, as there's no need to hold anyone in to a certain provider to use the iPhone, unlike in the USA and other countries. Perhaps Apple have learned that there's no point holding the iPhone back to a certain provider, as we're all unlocking them anyway and are using Australia as a test-bed for rolling it out elsewhere due to Australia's high adoption rate of mobile phones and new technology, but our small market that won't hurt them if it fails.
Current resellers will be able to sell iPhones
In the USA and other countries, you can only purchase iPhones from Apple, or from branded stores for the provider (AT&T stores for example). In Australia however, Apple are planning on letting resellers stock and sell iPhones, just like any other product, as the range of telco stores and official Apple stores is low, but resellers are wide-spread - together with driving people into stores where Macs are, so they'll look at what else Apple does. Also, it's the reason Apple is telling resellers in the first place, because they'll be selling them - otherwise Apple would do what they need to do without them.
So that's what we know about the iPhone so far. No doubt more info will be released over the coming weeks. Australia finally gets the iPhone - now let us all speculate on the plans and whether it will be 3G or not! - ppops, on 04/09/2008, -0/+14Whoooohooo!!! Definately buying one the first day they come out. Feels like we have been waiting for sooo long.....
- russellg, on 04/09/2008, -0/+13*ding
/me wonders about Visual Voicemail though, if we're not locked into one carrier, I hope Apple make it easy to implement for them. - vortexau, on 04/09/2008, -4/+17Laugh when we get the 3G before the yanks!
- Jaymo89, on 04/09/2008, -0/+11In Australia it's 3g or bust. GSM networks have been history for quite some time; EDGE was skipped by almost all carriers.
Networks will be launching HSPA+ this year which will give speeds of up to 42mbit over the air. - Abarax, on 04/10/2008, -1/+12I'd rather stab myself in the eye than sign up with Telstra.
- FXPooky, on 04/09/2008, -0/+10I'm afraid that in this case, Canada is worse off. No iPhone in sight.
- getrealnow, on 04/09/2008, -3/+11Why does everyone ***** Australia in getting things last? It seems Australia is that fat kid that gets picked last in 2nd grade kickball.
- coljac, on 04/09/2008, -1/+9Awesome news - seems almost too good!
- Tenoq, on 04/10/2008, -0/+8Yep. The current legal situation in Australia means Apple can't do the lock-in with one carrier that they've done in other countries. The ACCC would have their guts for garters if they tried.
- Radan, on 04/09/2008, -1/+9Welcome to the world, yankee. Here we don't usually lock our phones.
- tapeworm77, on 04/09/2008, -0/+7We should strike!
- marcedwards, on 04/09/2008, -2/+9I hope it's all true... and 3G. Who knows though. I'm happy with my hacked to pieces iPhone for the moment.
- mindsnare, on 04/09/2008, -1/+8Praise Baby Cheeses,
- FXPooky, on 04/09/2008, -0/+6Also, water is wet. :P
- DeFex, on 04/09/2008, -0/+6Be patient, with a bit of luck it means we can get a phone and not have to get rogered by rogers.
- Sherman901, on 04/09/2008, -0/+6canada isn't between USA and australia....
wait a second.... - phoomp, on 04/09/2008, -0/+6Canada is getting screwed, but not by Apple, IMO. It's more likely that our only GSM provider (read: monopoly) has no interest in offering the unlimited data that are necessary to use the iPhone.
- extreme101, on 04/09/2008, -0/+6Sweet, where can i pre-order? :|
- halohunter, on 04/09/2008, -2/+8Oh Yeah!!!!! It's going to be bloody expensive though. You should see how much we're screwed over on prices with macs.
- FXPooky, on 04/09/2008, -2/+8You know something is very wrong when Australia and Europe get an american product before Canada does. What the hell is going on? Give us the darn phone.
- phoomp, on 04/09/2008, -0/+5ya ... it just means we'll get Telused instead
- injektilo, on 04/09/2008, -1/+6I will buy one on day one, however am not interested in a hacked eBay iPhone.
For me to hand over that sort of money, I want the real thing. - pradaaddict, on 04/09/2008, -0/+5I heard a rumor that Telus is working on a GSM network and wants to launch it with iPhone. It's really sad that almost a year after the damn thing launched and its nowhere in sight for Canada and all i have to go on are these little pathetic rumors. Canada really got screwed on this one
- andrew2489, on 04/09/2008, -0/+5We don't have Apple Stores over here to sell the iPhone, it will be getting sold through specialised resellers like it already does now. Since it will not be with 1 carrier, selling them through carrier shops isn't an option either.
It is perfectly plausible, I can personally verify that the news came in from several sources at almost the same time...ie. when Apple told them... - ross., on 04/09/2008, -0/+5Multiple carrieres doesn't mean unlocked or contract free. The N95 is on multiple carriers, but not neccesary unlocked/contract free (ie $1000 unlocked, or free on a contract)
- lukemh, on 04/10/2008, -0/+5australia is better than any other country.
- Jaymo89, on 04/09/2008, -0/+5Because the US buys in bigger quantities, has lower taxes and is the most popular destination for manufactured goods.
It's also quite expensive to ship things to an island.
It's not really Australia that is expensive, it's the US that is cheap :). When I visit the US it's like a fire sale, even without the current exchange rate.
Another consideration is that Joe Schmoe in the US is poorer than Joe Schmoe in Australia. - chromerium, on 04/09/2008, -3/+8I work close to the store in Sydney and posted a story with a photo. Its really quite close to completion so I think it'll definitely be in time for a June iPhone release. It does make a lot of sense to launch both in Australia at the same time.
- cmrn, on 06/19/2008, -0/+4G stands for generation ie. 3G == 3(rd) Generation
- inactive, on 04/09/2008, -1/+5bravo.
- VermiciousKnid, on 04/09/2008, -0/+4Hurry up June. I dont know if my piece of ***** phone is gonna last that long
- thrasher6670, on 04/09/2008, -0/+4I'm not your buddy, guy!
- Jaymo89, on 04/10/2008, -0/+4Locking a phone to a carrier is seen as a dodgy practice in Australia. It's borderline illegal, they must provide you with unlocking codes on request in the rare probability that your phone is locked.
- ross., on 04/09/2008, -0/+4Last? By my count there are over 150 countries in the world, and only about 6 of them have the iPhone!!!
- tezz27000, on 04/09/2008, -0/+4yeah i agree, i think that the more than one carrier and no contract lock in sounds a bit too good to be true.
- Rauby, on 04/09/2008, -0/+3Apple is so ***** expensive outside the USA. That's the fact!
- g33kfu, on 04/09/2008, -0/+3Except that they're CDMA
- Radan, on 04/09/2008, -0/+3Nothing in Sweden either.
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