I actually updated few paragraphs bout installing third party software on iPhone. I am using the new iTunes (7.4.2) and nothing have change by far (I have not simhack my iPhone so far, so that might be an important factor).

although they say camera from iphone is not so good
but i think it is quite decent
the pics taken are not bad

I found the pictures have nice color saturation in enough lighting. the sharpness is also good but you either have enough light or steady hand. in low light however, it's quite underperforming.

some shot

May I know how much will it cost to bought an Iphone from US back to malaysia? 4gb and 8gb one..after tax etc... will it cost more than RM 2k? And is that including local warranty? If my phone got problem will Msia Apple retail fix it for me and can claim warranty? Im just worry about this. I think unlocking d phone shouldnt b a problem anymore right?

Thinking to wait till it is officially launch in msia, just buy. But i predict the price will go up to rm 3k and above which I need to give up.

Whats u guys suggestion? Is it really OK to bought the IPhone directly from US? I have friends coming back from Chicago end of d year.

This post has been edited by clivengu: Sep 22 2007, 05:06 PM

if u got friend that can bring it back here, why not! but must find people that can unlock ur iphone and use it here. I predict that if maxis can solve the call in problem, sure they hike up the price. thats my opinion.

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Added on September 22, 2007, 5:28 pmbut there's no warranty la until it been released officially in malaysia.

This post has been edited by zekrycortez: Sep 22 2007, 05:28 PM

So is much much cheaper to buy now from US right?Thought unlocking just need install a software..n easily unlock.. so complicated ah? U mean after malaysia officially release..than warranty can b get although d iphone from us..?

im not sure coz let say ipod u buy from us right, if anything happen then can claim the warranty from apple malaysia? if then maybe same as goes to iphone too.


Noob Question - iphone cannot set custom ringtones right? just the the normal ringtone inside the iphone right?

ipod or any other apple products can. But you need to know that iPhone only exclusive in USA currently, later this year some countries will have the "right", such as UK, Germany and etc.

I think what u mean is by using mp3/ songs as ringtones. Officially, they are looking forward to release that (of coz in situation that they can profit from it by charging 99 cent/$.99 per track which I know is ridiculous. By ibrickr-ing or nullriver-ing isn't so hard. Within 3 minutes, everything can be done even more than that.

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Added on September 22, 2007, 7:33 pmthink of it like this, how about those earlier owners like irwan or myself that actually bought it here in the States ? So when I went back and it's somehow broken (assume it's out in Malaysia) I will not received any warranty ? No Apple said somewhere that their products are warranted internationally, for example MacBook or stuff. They do not offer extended international warranty for laptops for that reason. It could be a problematic processes and stuff, but still they officially cover it worldwide (of coz which assumption that the product is for sales in the local countries respectively).

This post has been edited by derred: Sep 22 2007, 07:33 PM

ok in the ibrickr u have to restore the iphone to the original settings using the itunes right? but let say the iphone is the hack version where it can use other telco company besides AT&T. Will the restore method will terminate the hack program that already been installed in the iphone? If not i want to try the ibrickr but if it will spoil the hack in iphone, i better not to risk it.

As long as it is software hack, worst case you will only need to restore to factory settings. Then go on and redo whatever u want (like u mentioned, ibrickr it and stuff).

I don quite get it. Is that means, once I phone is officially launching in malaysia.. Those US Brought in Iphone, can be claim warranty n repair in local Apple Store too?? My Friend coming back in December... Should be quite close to the Releasing date in Asia. The reason I want to get it from US directly is bcause of the much cheaper price... rm 1.5k can get already...as when is officially lauched in msia.. I really doubt it will be selling at that price.. definately more than 3k. and i cant afford that

i'm quite sure you don't have to rehack your iphone to put custom ringtone using ibrickr.

but i heard the newest update in itunes renders the custom ringtones unusable.

Wait for official launch, if you're that paranoid about warranty. The price you pay for getting it now from the States (RM1700) gives me more than enough savings to get it serviced multiplefold at our local Apple centers, even if it needs payment.

What most people dont realise is that when Apple says release in Asia in 2008, they didnt say WHIC COUNTRY in Asia will get the official launches. The way Apple manage to slash prices on the iPhone is to pass part of the cost to the service provider/telco to subsidise the cost. The service provider/telco then decides on the service plan (pay $$$ for X months) and binds the user to this agreement. I dont see Malaysian telcos adopting such plans currently, or even subsidising the cost of a phone and tying users to set service plan. I see Singapore adopting such business plan for their telcos, so i'd see them getting the iPhone more than we do. Even if we DO get the iPhone locally as an official launch product, since our local telcos does not follow the subsidisation business plan like AT&T in the US, O2 in UK, T-Mobile in Germany, or even Orange in France, the iPhone will be sold MORE than USD399 pricetag now since this price USD399 is the subsidised price after a particular telco being awarded distribution right for the iPhone in their respective country. Be prepared to pay the TRUE price of the iPhone, once Or if, the iPhone launches here.

So, after that bit of information, who's still waiting for the local launch? It is between these two scenarios:-

1 - Wait for the local launch (if Apple deem it worthy and economical to release it here, remember, Apple's business distribution plan of launching an iPhone on a particular country right now are based on the respective country telco SUBSIDISING the cost of the iPhone, a practice not seen here in Malaysia), and pay the TRUE pricetag of the iPhone. You're not paying USD399 here anymore folks, that price is only for subsidisation plan, not if you dont sign up for a line, or service plan. But you get local warranty coverage. What this TRUE pricetag here remains to be seen, but im willing to bet my iPhone, you wont be paying RM1700, and most likely be upwards to RM3000 and beyond. The bad news may not end here, you may be required to subscribe to some sort of a service plan, though not as SEVERE as the AT&T's plans for example.

2 - Get the iPhone now , pay USD399, no local warranty so you're taking a sizable risk here, and once the iPhone is locally launched, PAY for service or other repair fees, since your iPhone is not from the local launch. Let say the iPhone launches here at RM3000, remember..... no subsidisation practice here, people. You just saved RM1300, and taking a ballpark figure of RM300 for every trip you make to the service center to repair your iPhone, since it is not covered in warranty/repair issues locally, you can afford to go up to even 5 times here. Even the unlucky ones dont get to repair their phones that many times.....are there?

Weigh your preferences here, people. If you are THAT PARANOID about repair/warranty issues, by all means , wait it out. You may , or you may NOT, get a local iPhone launch here, based on the points i have brought up before. Even if you do, do not expect the pricetag to be as subsidised as USD399, since local telcos dont make it their practice to subsidise phones here.

Again, dont be a cheapskate Malaysian. You can either have it one way or the other, NOT BOTH. You cannot have it cheap and expect full liability coverage in case of uncertainties happening. There is a reason why the iPhone is released country by country, region by region, that is because each region deals with phones and network service plans differently from the other. As from the current pattern Apple is adopting, they are only interested to launch the iPhone in countries that uses the phone cost subsidisation by service plan system. Malaysia does not adopt such system, where does that put us in the "Asian countries launch in 2008" list? Yup, nowhere in that list.

What's worse, Apple may even stick to launching the iPhone ONLY in countries that uses the phone cost subsidisation by service plan system, and not in other countries. Or they may opt to launch a sim-free (official, not by the current hacks) iPhone in the future, but to do so, they need to ride out the signed contracts with AT&T, O2, T-Mobile and Orange to expire before doing so, otherwise, a sim-free iPhone without service plan will breach the signed agreement with these telcos. And guess what? The longest contract so far, is with AT&T. Although the required period of service plan to sign with when you get the iPhone via AT&T is 2 years, Apple signed a 5 years agreement to provide AT&T sole distribution rights for the iPhone. Which means Apple CANNOT allow or manufacture, or release a sim-free version of the iPhone until this contract period expires. Do your maths, guys.......... 2007 + 5 years =?

Your neck craning that long already, yearning for that locally launched iPhone? Well, it may get significantly longer, and you might want to warn your chiropractor for more frequent appointments for your neck pains for all the waiting you're going to do!

about the warranty stuff. i already talked to customer service. they said they still cover if something happen when you are abroad (malaysia). but you have to send back to use as malaysian service center is still not equipped to repair iphone. once apple introduce iphone in malaysia, you can then send to local service center.

So in summary, there are a few things to consider:-

1 - Is Apple going to consider Malaysia as a launch country, despite Malaysian telco not adopting the "subsidisation via service plan" system here? Current pattern says NO.

2 - If Apple does decides to launch here, the iPhone price will not be USD399. Malaysians will pay through the nose for a non-subsidised iPhone, the price wont be RM1700 anymore, since telcos here will not subsidise.Even if the unprecendeted happens, and a telco here decides to subsides, interested parties wanting to get the iPhone here will have to pay the subsidised price PLUS that minimum service plan cost upfront before receiving their iPhones (RM1700 + X months at RMXX per month = bank account meltdown). Apple's choice of awarding a single telco in each country , distribution rights for the iPhone may again result in sim-locking of the iPhone to THAT particular telco ONLY, be it Maxis, Celcom or Digi.

3 - Otherwise, you will have to wait it out even LONGER for a sim-free iPhone. By law and binding contractual agreement, Apple CANNOT produce or distribute iPhones that are sim-free out of the box, because of the signed contracts they have with their telco partners. Otherwise, no one will be buying the iPhones from their signed telco partners (AT&T, O2, T-Mobile , Orange), and this will incur severe losses to these telco partners. They can sue for damage, and it wont look good on Apple, not to mention on their bank accounts. How long you ask? 5 years minimum, since AT&T and Apple signed that period of agreement for exclusive rights to distribute sim-locked iPhones. 2012......you wanna wait that long?

Now, why are you waiting again?

Wow stringfellow, very good writeup..kinda agreed that official launch in Msia is such a miracle thing to wait. But our neighbour country Singapore maybe not. It should be one of the earliest Asia region to have iPhone in their stores, well...just my speculation though.

This post has been edited by Futura: Sep 23 2007, 01:09 AM

I'd like to know how apple would like to negotiate with the hundreds of telco companies around the world. Its no easy undertaking, esp. when the iphone has special needs, e.g. visual voicemail.

IMHO, apple is shooting themselves in the foot if they don't open their phone soon. They have the hottest gadget in the market -- keeping it binded with the telco companies will result in massive loss of sales.

As for now, they have to play it nice with the hackers & the telco companies, we'll see who eventually wins, but my bet is on the hackers

stringfellow basically covers everything. If I were in your condition (zekrycortez or clivengu) I will definitely wait. For my condition and situation for now is definitely different from yours. Plus, I am not worried about warranty at all since I am here.

Some additional pictures from iPhone:





This post has been edited by derred: Sep 23 2007, 01:42 AM

You'd think that there are only two options: Buy now or wait.

But, i ask again, "wait until when?"

You say, "until launch date lah."

I ask back, "when is Malaysia's launch date?"

You answer back, "Apple says Asia in early 2008"

I ask you back, "How you know Malaysia is included in that statement?"

You reply, "Malaysia is part of Asia?"



I wish it is as easy as that, but im afraid it is not. Best case scenario still puts Malaysia's launch beyond 2008, UNLESS Maxis/Celcom/Digi decides to come up with a subsidisation service plan to bring in the iPhone at a more "friendlier" pricetag. Do you see our three telcos ever bringing in a hotly anticipated phone, and give it to you for cheap, if you sign up a 2 year service plan with them? Please dont give me the "Black/Red Ice from Celcom" deal, nobody gives a rat's arse about that phone.

Or you say, Apple's gonna release it here sim-free, although at a more expensive price, but still available here lah. The after-effect of that move will be, foreign purchase gonna come flooding in, strip the iPhone off the local market, and we end up with the current trend where cellphone dealers flagrantly hike the price up further in the name of "limited stock available" bull$hit.

Either way, looks pretty grim now, isnt it?