http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?f...32&sec=business

Telco hitch to iPhone debut in Malaysia


APPLE Inc’s iPhone may technically not be available in Malaysia yet, but many own them while many more have at least fiddled with one.

The iconic iPhone, which combines three products – mobile phone, wide-screen iPod and Internet communication device – was introduced in January 2007; an enhanced version called iPhone 3G was launched in June this year.

The first generation iPhone was introduced nearly two years ago, but the coveted phone is still not sold in Malaysia. Nonetheless, there are other touch-screen mobile phones available locally such as Samsung’s Omnia smartphone and LG’s Secret.

Apple plans to distribute the device in Malaysia similar to how it was done in the US, via an agreement to appoint AT&T as the exclusive service provider of the device. Under the agreement with AT&T, US customers who purchase the iPhone, priced from US$499, would have to commit to a two-year contract with the service provider. Apple is working on the same distribution model in Europe and other markets for iPhone.
A customer using an Apple iPhone at an Apple store in Palo Alto, California – AP

On the local front, Maxis Communication Bhd, which has been rumoured to be vying to be the exclusive distributor of the highly sought-after mobile phone, has not commented much on this.

Many have been asking why Maxis has taken so long to bring the phone to our shores. Some pointed out that a new model generally takes about six months to get here and some phone models are even launched in Malaysia before other markets.

Industry players said Malaysian mobile service providers did not have the practice of selling phones along with their packages. And like in most markets, Apple would leave all the distribution aspects to the service provider partner.

Analysts said Maxis had an advantage over its peers in securing a deal with Apple due to its large consumer base.

Industry players said Apple was also known to take a big cut from the service provider’s sales for the iPhone; therefore, local service providers were reluctant to bring the phone into Malaysia.

Recently, SingTel, which distributes the iPhone in Singapore, Australia, the Philippines and India, has been hit by reduced profits because it was subsidising the device.

At press time, Apple had yet to reply to StarBizWeek queries on the status of iPhone in Malaysia.

Many iPhone fans in the country have gone the extra mile to purchase the phones abroad. Singapore is the nearest country which distributes the iPhone.

Blogger David Wang, who blogs at mymacbuzz.com bought his iPhone 3G for about RM3,500 across the causeway.

He said he was required to sign up a two-year plan with SingTel.

“I signed up for an iOne Plus plan, which is the cheapest in terms of monthly commitment to qualify me for an iPhone. The handset cost about S$848 while the plan costs S$25.68 per month,” Wang said.

He added that his phone cost worked out to about RM2,049 while the monthly fee was about RM62.

The iPhone 3G, which went on sale in 22 countries when it was launched in June, is currently available in more than 50 countries.

Apple sold one million iPhone 3Gs in its first three days of sale.

On Oct 21, Apple announced sales of 6.89 million iPhones in its fiscal fourth quarter of 2008. Up to then, it had sold 13 million units of iPhone 3G.

http://www.macworld.com/article/137551/200...l?lsrc=rss_main

iPhone 3G being sold unlocked in Taiwan



The iPhone 3G debuted last week in Taiwan, where Apple is partnered with the country’s largest mobile operator, Chunghwa Telecom. However, despite claims to the contrary by Chunghwa, that relationship may not be entirely exclusive.

A report in Digitimes suggests that the handsets being sold in Taiwan are not actually locked for use with Chunghwa’s network, even though the company says they can only be used on its network. Many users who’ve bought the phones are saying that inserting a SIM card from a different provider works fine, though it does mean that users can’t access Chunghwa’s special web services.

That fact might make Taiwan very attractive as a market for iPhones to be used in other countries where the device isn’t available yet. However, one barrier to that is the fact that the iPhone is relatively expensive in Taiwan, carrying a pricetag of NT$26,600 (~US$800) for an 8GB model with no contract. And, as illicitly unlocked iPhones seem to have long been making their way to Asian markets at lower prices, the price premium may be seen as excessive. One advantage, however, is that a legally-distributed unlocked iPhone would likely carry less risk of being made inoperable by a future Apple software update.

Taiwanese iPhones aren't the only ones to be sold legitimately unlocked: France and Hong Kong are also among the countries that have offered unlocked iPhones.