Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Australian iPhone 3G FAQ

It has become clear that Australians and other people from around the world who are interested in the iPhone are unsure about and have a lot of questions about the new Australian iPhone 3G. Due to the amount of questions being asked on forums and social sites i have decided to do a post on FAQ concerning the iPhone in Australia.

How long has the iPhone 3G been around for in Australia?

The iPhone 3G was initially released in Australia on July 11 2008 at various times in the morning (6am in some places). The iPhone 3G is the first version of the iPhone to be 'officially' sold in Australia.


How can you buy the iPhone 3G in Australia?

The iPhone 3G is available on plans from Optus, Telstra and Vodafone and can be bought outright (still locked to the network) from Optus and Vodafone (with Vodafone only at a few stores) on their prepaid services. I recently posted on the full iPhone 3G pricing details which compares all the ways of buying the iPhone 3G in Australia.

Can you buy the iPhone 3G outright fully-unlocked and what does fully unlocked mean?

A fully unlocked iPhone is an iPhone that will work on any network not just the network you bought it from (because there is no locking, restricting the phones use).

You cannot buy the iPhone 3G outright and fully unlocked from any telco (or even Apple) in Australia at the moment. However because you can buy the iPhone 3G outright from optus (with locking to their network) there is a way to get the iPhone unlocked.

The ONLY WAY to get a FULLY UNLOCKED IPHONE at the moment is to buy the iPhone from Optus on prepaid (see iPhone 3G pricing details post for prepaid pricing) and pay $80 to Optus to allow the network locking to be turned off and give you the choice of using your IPHONE 3G ON ANY NETWORK IN AUSTRALIA!

How much does the iPhone cost?

The iPhone in Australia is available on a wide range of plans which allow flexibility between contract length, upfront payment and call/data allowance (data is very important with iPhone) while also being available from Optus and Vodafone (Optus is a lot cheaper) on prepaid. See my iPhone 3G pricing details post for pricing details on every plan/prepaid offer run by any of the three networks currently offering the iPhone in Australia.

What is the cheapest way to get the Australian iPhone 3G?

The cheapest plan when you initially buy the iPhone at the moment is the Optus $79 cap plan ($0 upfront for the 8GB model on a 24 month contract). Although most people would agree that this is still quite expensive for a phone!


Is the iPhone 3G in Australia likely to become cheaper?

The iPhone in Australia is likely to hover at around the same current price for at least the next few months but as with most technology it would be expected that the price would have dropped by at least 30% by Christmas this year.


How does the iPhone 3G access the Internet?

The iPhone 3G can access the Internet by using inbuilt wi-fi which enables it to access the Internet from a home network or through the use of public wi-fi areas (e.g. in cafes/airports) via a wireless router. This type of access (wi-fi access) is FREE unless you have to pay to use a public router connection.

However unless your iPhone is always within range of a router you will NOT HAVE ACCESS TO THE INTERNET. In the past your only option would have been to drop back onto slow dial up speeds from your iPhone because it didn't support 3G but the latest iPhone 3G allows you to access the 3G network which gives you access to the Internet at fast broadband speeds in most capital cities. This type of connection (a 3G connection) DOES COST MONEY though and is why most people who take up an iPhone will be shocked to see a massive first bill because of excess data use.

How much data do you need when using the iPhone?

Most of the iPhone pricing packages include extra data compared to plans with other phones but how much do you really need? To avoid getting a MASSIVE bill here is a rough outline of how far your data will go:

10MB-iPhone will use this much without you clicking a button to do with the Internet-more!!!
50MB-Very occasional emailing/web browsing as well as perhaps 1 music download.
100MB-Visit around 50 sites, send around 100 emails and even download a couple of songs and wallpaper.
200MB-Allow you to frequently use the Internet for browsing, a good amount of emailing and even download a few songs and wallpaper.
500MB-Allow you to use the iPhone frequently for a range of things for quite a bit of time as long as you don't watch/download too many videos or use it every second of the day.
1GB and over-Anything over 1GB would allow you to pretty much have unlimited access to do as much as you could on the iPhone 3G for a couple of hours a day.

How much memory does the iPhone 3G have?

The iPhone 3G comes in two models at the moment in Australia; 8GB and 16GB. In the near future it appears likely that a 32GB iPhone 3G will become available.

What is the difference between the original iPhone and the latest iPhone 3G?

The new iPhone 3G has several software updates making it easier to use; in terms of hardware a faster processor, longer lasting battery and obviously (hence the name) the ability to have access to the 3G network.

What is the difference between the iPhone 3G and the iPod Touch?

The iPhone has a cell phone, Camera, iPod, touch screen and wi-fi access while the iPod Touch is just an iPod with a touch screen and wi-fi.

How good is the iPhone 3G/What separates it from other phones?

Apart from the Apple branding it is generally a well built phone; (although it is lacking a few features) with great screen navigation (and GPS navigation), easy emailing, standard iPod, 2MP camera, fantastic Internet access and great ease of use.

Why is the iPhone 3G so much cheaper in America compared to other countries?

Apple is selling the iPhone to telecommunications companies for much more in countries outside the US and telcos are also marking the price up over here to simply make more money! Although the price should come down soon.

Is the Apple iPhone 3G good for business users?

Yes, it is very easy to use and features amazingly simple at:

-Emailing (including setup)
-Calander integration
-Networking



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If you have any other questions that you want answered i would be happy to add to this Australian iPhone 3G FAQ list. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO POST A COMMENT WITH YOUR REQUEST.

For further iPhone information for Australians or for those in other countries who are interested feel free to check out the other Australian iPhone related pages in this blog.

Happy iPhone-ing!

Cheers, Lachlan.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Latest iPhone information

In the past few days after the initial release of the iPhone 3G a number of things have happened:

1. Apple has announced that already in the first three days of sales, over a million iPhones have been sold in the original 21 countries the iPhone 3G was introduced to on Friday (July 11). Apple has also said that around 80,000 of the million 3G iPhones were sold in Australia and that the figure would have been much higher if it wasn't for stock limitations. More shipments of stock are rumoured to be arriving soon but some sources say that it could take as long as 3 weeks for new 3G iPhones to reach Australia.

2. It has become clear that Optus is leading the iPhone sales and has a firm grip on the market. Telstra is believed to be coming second in sales with Vodafone surprisingly struggling to get iPhone customers even though their plans are generally fairer than most of Telstra's outrageously priced plans. The pricing details are primarily what customers are basing their decision of which telecommunications company to choose on, with Optus believed to be winning the market over with decent plans with better pricing packages than it's competitors.

3. Vodafone has announced that it will sell the iPhone on their prepaid service through Dick Smith Electronics. Although stock was momentarily available it is believed to have all gone. The Dick Smith Electronics website states that "Due to overwhelming popularity, our stock for the new Vodafone iPhone is already exhausted. Come in and order today and we will place you in a priority queue." The iPhone will sell for $799 (8GB) and $915 (16GB) on Vodafone prepaid which is slightly more than what you can buy the phone for on Optus prepaid (see pricing details).

4. It is likely that other telecommunications will soon begin to sell the iPhone (like Three rumoured to be starting selling it sometime in August) on plans/prepaid and that the price of the iPhone due to that possible increased competition could come down considerably within weeks.

5. The Australian people have mainly had positive comments on the new iPhone most saying that it is fantastic and well worth the money however some are still annoyed that the iPhone has no video recording (including for video calls), sending MMS (multimedia messages) or the convenience of being able to copy and paste.


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Stay tuned for more iPhone updates, news, info and pricing details.

Cheers, Lachlan.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Australian iPhone 3G Pricing Details

UPDATE:
The iPhone Pricing Details have changed. See the latest post on the new Pricing Options for the Australian iPhone 3G for current information.
The iPhone 3G in Australia was released on 11th July and at the time of writing these are the pricing details for every way to get the iPhone.

Plans:



  • Optus: As taken from website 12/7/08


    Optus is offering a range of 'yes' plans and 'yes' cap plans.


-'Yes' Plans (click to enlarge)


-'Yes' Cap Plans (click to enlarge)


  • Vodafone: As taken from website 12/7/08
Vodafone is offering a range of cap plans...

$69 Cap
iPhone 8GB for $7.88 per month on MPP* (or $189 upfront) or iPhone 16GB for $12.88 per month on MPP* (or $309 upfront)
$69 plan includes $310 of talk, TXT & more plus 250MB of data per month

$99 Cap
iPhone 8GB for $4.13 per month on MPP* (or $99 upfront) or iPhone 16GB for $9.13 per month on MPP* (or $219 upfront)
$99 plan includes $600 of talk, TXT & more plus 500MB of data per month

$119 Cap
iPhone 8GB for $2.46 per month on MPP* (or $59 upfront) or iPhone 16GB for $7.46 per month on MPP* (or $179 upfront)
$119 plan includes $800 of talk, TXT & more plus 500MB of data per month

$169 Cap
iPhone 8GB for FREE or iPhone 16GB for $3.71 per month on MPP* (or $89 upfront)
$169 plan includes $1200 of talk, TXT & more plus 1GB of data per month

$49 Maxi Cap Contract
iPhone 8GB for $10.08 per month on MPP* (or $242 upfront) or iPhone 16GB for $15.13 per month on MPP* (or $363 upfront)
$49 plan includes $310 of talk, TXT & more per month
Plus, add Internet on your mobile for just $11.95 a month and get an additional 100MB of data to play with per month

$79 Super Cap Contract
iPhone 8GB for $7.04 per month on MPP* (or $169 upfront) or iPhone 16GB for $12.08 per month on MPP* (or $290 upfront)
$79 plan includes $600 of talk, TXT & more per month
Plus, add Internet on your mobile for just $11.95 a month and get an additional 100MB of data to play with per month





  • Telstra: As taken from website 12/7/08:



Telstra is offering a range of cap plans which allow you to choose whether you want to pay upfront and have a smaller cap or pay less upfront for a bigger cap. They also allow you to build your own plan.




-iPhone 3G 8GB





$0 upfront on a $109 Package
Package includes FREE Wi-Fi at Telstra Hot Spots5, $80 iPhone 3G Phone Plan & a $29 Browsing Pack

$59 upfront on a $89 Package
Package includes FREE Wi-Fi at Telstra Hot Spots5, $60 iPhone 3G Phone Plan & a $29 Browsing Pack




$279 upfront on a $59 Package
Package includes FREE Wi-Fi at Telstra Hot Spots5, $30 iPhone 3G Phone Plan & a $29 Browsing Pack

-iPhone 3G 16GB




$0 upfront on a $129 Package
Package includes FREE Wi-Fi at Telstra Hot Spots5, $100 iPhone 3G Phone Plan & a $29 Browsing Pack




$69 upfront on a $109 Package
Package includes FREE Wi-Fi at Telstra Hot Spots5 $80 iPhone 3G Phone Plan & a $29 Browsing Pack




$179 upfront on a $89 Package
Package includes FREE Wi-Fi at Telstra Hot Spots5 $60 iPhone 3G Phone Plan & a $29 Browsing Pack




$399 upfront on a $59 Package
Package includes FREE Wi-Fi at Telstra Hot Spots5 $30 iPhone 3G Phone Plan & a $29 Browsing Pack




Prepaid:






  • Optus: As taken from website 12/7/08



-iPhone 3G 8GB


$729

-iPhone 3G 16GB


$849

Summary:



Most iPhone fans (including myself) would agree that it was very disappointing to see how much the iPhones were going to retail for in Australia. In the USA they are retailing for almost half the price! For most people the iPhone is out of reach unless they decide to take on a 24 month contract with a big total monthly package price. The prepaid price is astronomically high and one can only wonder why? Those stupid telecommunications want us locked into a much cheaper plan so in 6 months time when the 4G (??!) iPhone comes out they make even more money when we leave the contract!


Just to let everyone know; at the moment:

-The cheapest plan when you initially buy at the moment is: Optus $79 cap plan ($0 upfront for 8GB model on 24 month contract). Quite expensive, eh?


There is good news though; by Christmas the price should have dropped dramatically so all those Apple fans with little money can finally get their hands on an amazing piece of technology.


The iPhone pricing details for the iPhone are very unfair but if you want the latest gizmo i suppose that's the price you pay-literally.

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For more iPhone information check out the other pages of this blog.


Cheers, Lachlan.

Australian iPhone 3G Details (Tech Specs)

Apples second version of the iPhone; the iPhone 3G is huge; but what exactly is the iphone?

According to Apple it is a "Phone, iPod, and Internet in one fast 3G device."
But when you really dig deeper you see exactly how much effort Apple has put in.



Australian iPhone Release Details

Australian iPhone release details are now fully available. The iPhone will initially released on July 11 2008 at various times in the morning (6am in some places). It will be available at selected main telecommunications stores of Vodofone, Telstra and Optus across the country.

Depending on iPhone sales and stock of the iPhone in Australia the iPhone could be available at more stores within a few weeks after the initial release. It is unclear how much stock stores have so if you really are an iPhone fan it is suggested that you buy it on the 11th as new shipments of stock could take several weeks to arrive.

The iPhone will be locked to all of the networks offering the phone and won't be able to be bought outright from Apple with no locking as some may have hoped. However it will be able to be bought outright on prepaid (still locked to the network) on at least the Optus network.

All three companies have confirmed that they will offer the phone on a variety of plans/payment packages with Optus the only company to release a full pricing structure before the release.

At the moment it is possible to pre-order an iPhone online if you are prepared to pay a small deposit to secure the amazing device.