Wednesday, September 24, 2008

iPhone Has Changed The Australian Telecommunication Industry

The launch of the Apple iPhone 3G in Australia has changed our Telecommunication Industry for the better, forever and will only continue to do so in the future.

Who would have thought that one (albeit revolutionary) phone could change a multibillion-dollar industry so much. The iPhone has not only set a very high benchmark for the worldwide production of mobile phones but has dramatically changed the Australian Telecommunication Industry.

Changes Include:

  • Immediate Lower Data Costs-The iPhone encourages data use like no other phone ever has before and this dramatic increase in demand for data has caused greater competition between telecommunications companies. This has led to a massive drop in data prices; mainly for specific iPhone plans but often also on plans for other 3G phones as well.
  • More Investment in Projects-Due to the sheer demand for the iPhone 3G in Australia, telecommunication companies are starting projects and fast-tracking existing ventures to deliver faster mobile browsing speeds (mostly through 3G networks), to more people and places around the country.
  • Lower Data Cost in the Future- Through this increased investment in projects telcos will be able to deliver data at a much cheaper price in the future compared to what the price would be if the iPhone didn't exist.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

iPhone on Three Network

The Three Network in Australia does not currently (24/9/08) offer the iPhone 3G; however for some existing Three clients or people who have lots of friends on Three, it is the cheapest option for them. To get the iPhone 3G on the Three network in Australia you need to either wait for your plan to end, pay your way out of your plan or buy an iPhone on prepaid and pay an unlocking fee. The latter two are going to be pretty expensive but for some people who prefer/would benefit from the Australian Three Network it may seem worth it.

The Three network offers fairly competitive plans for those with iPhones because Three knows that they need to start grabbing some of the Australian iPhone market before it becomes too used to being restricted with Optus, Virgin, Telstra and Vodafone.

For those who used to be on Three but are now on another network because they wanted an iPhone or who are considering moving away from the Three Network to get an iPhone, it may be worth mentioning that Three may indeed in the future actually end up offering the iPhone; instead of just plans for existing iPhone owners.

Virgin iPhone 3G Australia

Virgin is offering the iPhone 3G on the following plans (as taken from website on 24/9/08). They no longer have the stock problems they used to have and you can order an iPhone online through the Virgin Australia website.



8GB iPhone 3G:



  • Free to V Cap $70 Exclusive to iPhone 3G (No Handset Repayments)






Get $520 monthly credit with our FREE TO V 70 CAP plan, which includes national and international calls and text.

  • Free to V Cap $100 Exclusive to iPhone 3G (No Handset Repayments)





Get $520 monthly credit with our FREE TO V 100 CAP plan, which includes national and international calls and text.



16GB iPhone 3G:

  • Free to V Cap $70 Exclusive to iPhone 3G ($4 Monthly Handset Repayment)






Get $520 monthly credit with our FREE TO V 70 CAP plan, which includes national and international calls and text.


  • Free to V Cap $100 Exclusive to iPhone 3G (No Handset Repayments)






Get $520 monthly credit with our FREE TO V 100 CAP plan, which includes national and international calls and text.

Optus iPhone 3G Pricing Options

1. 'yes' Timeless Plans (29/9/08)

Optus has recently released a new type of pricing option for the iPhone 3G; "Timeless Plans". The idea being that they offer unlimited standard voice calls to any network within Australia (local, national and GSM mobiles) and unlimited standard national text to any network. There are currently three Timeless Plans, the main difference between them being the included data value. I am unsure why Optus made the first plan cheaper than the second, because the first actually offers more data (weird, huh?).

The third plan is probably the best value because for $10-15 more, you get around 2GB of extra data, and if you read the fine print of the plans you get free voicemail retrieval (which unfairly costs extra in the first and second plans).

I am personally very happy that Optus has finally brought out a pricing option that offers real value; compared to some of it's other plans. Obviously to make a plan that offers timeless calls and free text Optus can't make it exactly cheap, so for those who simply can't spend enough each month to go on a Timeless Plan (even though they are great value) then Optus still offers lot's of other pricing options (below).


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2. 'yes' Cap Plans (29/9/08)


The 'yes' Cap Plans give quite a lot of included call/text value but beware of really high, unfair call rates for all of the plans. The included data is generally enough for those who email/surf the web for a few hours a day.

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3. 'yes' Plans (29/9/08)

The 'yes' Plans are similarly structured to the 'yes' Cap Plans (above) except you get a wider range of plans for more budgets and generally more data but less included call value (although the actual call rate per 30 seconds is cheaper which may make up for less call value).

The handset repayments are almost identical to the 'yes' Cap Plans so don't worry about comparing that too much.


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Telstra iPhone 3G Australia

Telstra is offering a number of set "packaging options" for the iPhone 8GB and 16GB but also allows customers to "build their own plan" (to some extent); which although sounds different to what the other carriers are offering, isn't really that unique as most carriers offer a range of options/choices for each of their plans.

Caps (19/9/08)-

8GB iPhone 3G:

  • iPhone 3G 8GB $90 Package $0 Upfront
Package includes FREE Wi-Fi at Telstra Hot Spots, $80 Phone Plan for iPhone & a $10 Browsing Pack
$80 Phone Plan for iPhone for 24 months gives you $70 to spend on eligible voice, messaging and text every month
$10 worth of eligible data from your Phone Plan for iPhone & a $10 Browsing Pack gives you a total of 170 MB of data every month
Choose the My Hour Bonus Option on your Phone Plan for iPhone & get up to 1860 minutes of bonus talk time to eligible numbers during your chosen hour
  • iPhone 3G 8GB $70 Package $59 Upfront


Package includes FREE Wi-Fi at Telstra Hot Spots, $60 Phone Plan for iPhone & a $10 Browsing Pack
$60 Phone Plan for iPhone for 24 months gives you $50 to spend on eligible voice, messaging and text every month
$10 worth of eligible data from your Phone Plan for iPhone & a $10 Browsing Pack gives you a total of 170 MB of data every month
Choose the My Hour Bonus Option on your Phone Plan for iPhone & get up to 1860 minutes of bonus talk time to eligible numbers during your chosen hour

  • iPhone 3G 8GB $40 Package $279 Upfront


Package includes FREE Wi-Fi at Telstra Hot Spots, $30 Phone Plan for iPhone & a $10 Browsing Pack
$30 Phone Plan for iPhone for 24 months gives you $25 to spend on eligible voice, messaging and text every month
$5 worth of eligible data from your Phone Plan for iPhone & a $10 Browsing Pack gives you a total of 160 MB of data every month
Choose the My Hour Bonus Option on your Phone Plan for iPhone & get up to 1860 minutes of bonus talk time to eligible numbers during your chosen hour


16GB iPhone 3G:

  • iPhone 3G 16GB $110 Package $0 Upfront
Package includes FREE Wi-Fi at Telstra Hot Spots, $100 Phone Plan for iPhone & a $10 Browsing Pack
$100 Phone Plan for iPhone for 24 months gives you $90 to spend on eligible voice, messaging and text every month
$10 worth of eligible data from your Phone Plan for iPhone & a $10 Browsing Pack gives you a total of 170 MB of data every month
Choose the My Hour Bonus Option on your Phone Plan for iPhone & get up to 1860 minutes of bonus talk time to eligible numbers during your chosen hour

  • iPhone 3G 16GB $90 Package $69 Upfront

Package includes FREE Wi-Fi at Telstra Hot Spots, $80Phone Plan for iPhone & a $10 Browsing Pack
$80 Phone Plan for iPhone for 24 months gives you $70 to spend on eligible voice, messaging and text every month
$10 worth of eligible data from your Phone Plan for iPhone & a $10 Browsing Pack gives you a total of 170 MB of data every month
Choose the My Hour Bonus Option on your Phone Plan for iPhone & get up to 1860 minutes of bonus talk time to eligible numbers during your chosen hour

  • iPhone 3G 16GB $70 Package $179 Upfront

Package includes FREE Wi-Fi at Telstra Hot Spots, $60 Phone Plan for iPhone & a $10 Browsing Pack
$60 Phone Plan for iPhone for 24 months gives you $50 to spend on eligible voice, messaging and text every month
$10 worth of eligible data from your Phone Plan for iPhone & a $10 Browsing Pack gives you a total of 170 MB of data every month
Choose the My Hour Bonus Option on your Phone Plan for iPhone & get up to 1860 minutes of bonus talk time to eligible numbers during your chosen hour

  • iPhone 3G 16GB $40 Package $399 Upfront

Package includes FREE Wi-Fi at Telstra Hot Spots, $30 Phone Plan for iPhone & a $10 Browsing Pack
$30 Phone Plan for iPhone for 24 months gives you $25 to spend on eligible voice, messaging and text every month
$5 worth of eligible data from your Phone Plan for iPhone & a $10 Browsing Pack gives you a total of 160 MB of data every month
Choose the My Hour Bonus Option on your Phone Plan for iPhone & get up to 1860 minutes of bonus talk time to eligible numbers during your chosen hour

Build Your Own Plan:

Choose an iPhone 3G Plan for 24 months and you can receive monthly included value that includes some voice, text, and browsing; choose a fantastic Bonus Option to maximise the value of your plan and receive free Wi-Fi access at Telstra Hot Spots. The main advantage of Telstra's "Build your own plan" compared to all the other networks options (that they just give you without making a fuss) is that you can change the ratio of upfront payment/monthly payment to suit your needs and have more control over just how much data you want included in your plan. See the iPhone 3G page on the Telstra website for more information on how you can "build your own plan".

Note:

I feel that it is worth mentioning that for business users i would probably recommend Telstra more than the other carriers. Firstly because their network is the fastest (although their customer service isn't the best) and most widely available in Australia; and secondly because Telstra offers the best business plans for the iPhone (different to the ones mentioned above-see Telstra website for more information).

Vodafone iPhone 3G Australia

Vodafone is offering the following range of caps (23/9/08):

  • $69 Vodafone Cap Contract for Apple® iPhone™ 3G
    iPhone 8GB for $2.86 per month on MPP* (or $69 upfront) or iPhone 16GB for $7.92 per month on MPP* (or $190 upfront)
    $69 plan includes $310 of talk, TXT & more plus 250MB of data per month

  • $99 Vodafone Cap Contract for Apple® iPhone™ 3G
    iPhone 8GB for FREE or iPhone 16GB for $5.05 per month on MPP* (or $121 upfront)
    $99 plan includes $600 of talk, TXT & more plus 500MB of data per month

  • $119 Vodafone Cap Contract for Apple® iPhone™ 3G
    iPhone 8GB for FREE or iPhone 16GB for $5.05 per month on MPP* (or $121 upfront)
    $119 plan includes $800 of talk, TXT & more plus 500MB of data per month

  • $169 Vodafone Cap Contract for Apple® iPhone™ 3G
    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

Monday, September 22, 2008

Australian iPhone Unlocking

So many people keep on asking, "how do i unlock my iPhone 3G?", "can i import an iPhone from America and use it in Australia?", "can i get an iPhone for free?" and "when will the price of Australian iPhone come down?".

The Australian iPhone 3G is a rip-off and there is no doubt about it. For a basic phone that just works well (like all other phones should) this phone should be $300 in Australia but because of Apple and Australian Telecommunication companies the price is more than double that, and as for the data prices well that is a rip-off too!

I understand why people want the iPhone cheaper and keep asking these questions to try and get it cheaper; but unfortunately they are pretty much wasting their time. Apple has spent a lot of money making sure the iPhone 3G programming cannot be completely manipulated by hackers (although hacking can still do some stuff to the iPhone 3G) and so unlocking is almost impossible.

Apple has also set up sales of the iPhone to work in their favour, by making all iPhone 3G's in America (the cheapest place in the world to get the iPhone) locked to one network, which prevents people just shipping from America to Australia, for example.

There is no way to get a "cheap" or "free" iPhone-unfortunately at the moment you have to put up with the current plan/prepaid iPhone pricing which is just way too expensive for most people.

I must also warn people not to even bother clicking on ads/sites for "free iPhone 3G's" because i guarantee it is either a scam or it makes you pay for the iPhone in some way (e.g. through buying hundreds of products and earning "points" towards an iPhone, like i saw a site for earlier today).

Sorry for all of this bad news but i feel that i must tell people the truth about the iPhone situation.

To finish on a positive note:

I expect (as of 22/9/08) that the iPhone 3G should be 20% cheaper in Australia by christmas and around half the price (if not less) by the end of next year when the new iPhone model (iPhone 4G??!) should be available.

Should you wait to buy the iPhone 3G? Yes!

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Till next Australian iPhone 3G post, Lachlan.

Monday, September 1, 2008

Australian iPhone Accessories

Those of you contemplating buying some iPhone accessories for your PERFECT Australian iPhone 3G perhaps you should stop with the thinking and start getting full use of your iPhone; starting now! Here are some of the best iPhone 3G accessories in terms of cost and benefit.

1. CASE- I think that this is definitely the best thing you can buy for your iPhone. Even if you "never drop your phone" or "don't mind if it gets scratched" i would still say that you are quite silly if you don't buy a case. It is a small price to pay for keeping your iPhone in good condition; do you want a scratched, chipped and partly broken iPhone (after it cost you so much money)? I didn't think so! You have three choices with cases for your iPhone 3G; a plastic hard case, leather case or metal case. In my opinion, plastic cases look pretty cheap and the metal cases just don't "look right" so personally i would go for a leather case, but it is up to you!

2. SCREEN PROTECTOR- OK, so now you probably think i am going too far with protecting your iPhone from damage; but as i said with the case, do you really want a damaged iPhone? Screen protectors do as their name suggests and are easily applied over the screen. When applied properly (without any air bubbles) they will work well for at least six months.

3. CRADLE/DOCK- There is a lot of variation between the features (and price) of different cradles and docks so it is really up to what you want. Some docks just charge your iPhone while others also play music from your iPhone through speakers. Expect to pay 50-800 dollars for a cradle or dock.

4. iPhone travel pack- These packs vary in what they have but most offer a car charger, car holder kit, extra cords and other stuff useful for travel with your iPhone.

5. FM Transmitter- An FM transmitter is sometimes included in an upmarket iPhone travel pack but is usually just bought outright. It allows you to transmit music from your iPhone to your car stereo.

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Other accessories include bluetooth headsets, extra batteries, extra cables and armbands.

iPhone accessories may be expensive but isn't it worth getting the most (spending a little bit extra) out of what has already cost you quite a lot of money? I certainly think so!

Cheers, Lachlan.