Monday, May 28, 2007

iPhone Australia

The iPhone isn't expected in Australia until the end of 2007 and should probably arrive at the same time it arrives with the rest of Asia. However the list of Australian Networks supporting EDGE technology for mobiles is limited to just Telstra.

But Telstra has publicly attacked the iPhone calling it 'old hat'. Greg Winn, the Chief of Telstra has also suggested that Apple should forget doing mobiles by saying "There's an old saying -- stick to your knitting -- and Apple is not a mobile phone manufacturer, that's not their knitting."

He also claimed the iPhone battery life as being poor and that other phone manufacturers would soon catch up with Apple.

With such a scathing attack from Telstra, it looks unlikely that they would introduce the iPhone.
So the only hope for Australia is that Apple introduces the 3G iPhone that everyone is speculating about and hopefully allows more than one carrier to operate it.

Tired of waiting for the iPhone ? Buy a Nokia N95 instead.

46 comments:

Silicontrip said...

Many mobile phones, PDAs and music players are converging, so what stops a music player manufacturer making a mobile phone? Apple do make consumer electronics so this does seem more like "Apple's knitting" than not.

No one said to Microsoft "stick to your knitting" when they decided to introduce a gaming console or an email web portal, or maybe a consumer electronics operating system, or maybe all those years ago, a word processor and spread sheet.

I feel that telling another company what "their knitting" is, is petty and a diversion from the real fact that my mobile phone choices are being limited.

Surely Telstra would welcome more customers to their network, not fewer, especially if they are the only carrier to offer EDGE networking.

It sounds like Telstra are trying to leverage a better deal from one of Apple's competitors.

I wonder who?

Anonymous said...

I think Telstra Australia will support wherever the money comes from. If a small mod is required to make the phone run on 3G then they (apple) will run with 3 mobile and eventually when the iPhone goes huge, Telstra will want a piece of the action at which point apple will make THE decision.

I firmly believe that the apple iPhone will have 3G support sooner rather than later, it just makes sense for global domination. And while the iPhone jumps into a hugely competitive market with little chance of survival, it needs all the breaks it can get to transition smoothly to as many regional markets as it can as quickly as possible.

Unknown said...

Good ol Telstra at it again.. Maybe they should catch up on tech here instead of pointing fingers....

Our broadband networks are so archaic in comparison to the US..too slow, and too over priced..

Telstra cant even manage to keep enough stock of the hiptop 3's, at this stage they dont expect to be able to sign up any new customers until late July because they didn't expect people here would want it....

Time to wise up Telstra..

Anonymous said...

The phone rocks, its already has the 3G chip onboard by all reports , it just presents some battery life issues. I hear it will be fixed soon. These things are a rash all over the US . 250 thousand or half a million sold so far who knows the number but I can tell people are making the vote, its selling faster than candy in the three cities I have been in the US in the past few weeks.... By the way I work for a competitor...credit where credit is due..This is one sexy bit of kit

Anonymous said...

its stupid that telstra say that apple need to stick to there knitting. if companies didnt try new thing, what would be moving us foward in tecnology? it seems that they just dont want to be challanged with the features of there "next G" network, because that was the big thing for them, and now the out break of the iphone is so big, there trying not to draw attention away from there biggest feature with the iphone. they just know its to good for them.

Anonymous said...

If I didn't know Telstra better, as soon as Apple releases the iPhone in Australia, Telstra will be the first and maybe only to get it.

Shqiptar said...

hey guys, could comeone tell me if the newly released iPhone is compatible with Australian(European) sim cards? I wanted to order an iPhone from the US, but I'm not sure if I can use the same sim card.

Cheers

Anonymous said...

Shqiptar,

I don't know this for sure because I've never seen one in the flesh but as far as I know, the iPhone doesn't use a sim card at all.

Can anyone set us straight about this?

Nudge said...

The iphone will not currently work with any current sim card in australia... In america it is encouraged that you use the AT&T sim that comes with the iphone. But at this time there is no point in buying an iphone from overseas as the networking has not been properly set up yet, only some 'hackers' have been able to get the iphone working over here, by uploading specific software onto it. But still it isnt fully operational. Best to just wait until it comes out.
How annoying I know.. The closet we can get to it is the Ipod Touch that you can preorder now.

Anonymous said...

Hi all, you can now purchase iphones directly from Australia unlocked and ready to use guaranteed for a lot less than the guys on ebay.

Pickups are available from Melbourne to test the handset before purchase.
Here it is;
www.angrydragon.com.au/aussieiphones/public_html/index.php

Andy said...

Seeing as orange is the French provider for iPhone, and O2 in the UK (who are partners with Telstra), I think it stands to reason that Telstra would be the favourite for the Australian iPhone.

However, with a phone with so much (media driven) hype behind it, surely Telstra would want the phone to be the poster boy for their new fandangled Next G network? But that's just my speculating - as there's not much said about a 3G iPhone, let alone a 900Mhz 3G iPhone.

As for "knowing their knitting", I think this is an example of Apple knowing/guessing where the portable music industry was going to head - convergence. Mobiles were being marketed as being able to play back music, so Apple recognised that creating an iPod built into a phone would be a great idea.

Having not used the phone, i can't say whether or not they succeeded.

Anonymous said...

Apple are a bigger company than Telstra, Isn't it funny teltra are bad mouthing a larger company, telstra need to get over themselves

WingNut said...

iPhone joined hands with Orange in France, which is owned by (mebbe jointly) none other than Hutchinson.... I don't think hutch (running the '3' mobile company in Australia) would let the iPhone go away cuz Telstra wants it. I know iPhone doesn't support 3G networks but they haven't decided to release it yet, mebbe by the time they come to Aussieland they would have a 3G version as well. After all, most of Europe is 3G.

Anonymous said...

Telsta are not interested in anything Apple do. Telstra don't support iTunes as they have there own music site & not interested in Apples mp3a's. Telestra support Micro$oft & Windozze.

Anonymous said...

I think that Telstra feels threatened as all of their current products cant shape up to the iPhone, they have contracts with mobile phone manufacturers and I dont think it is Telstra doing the talking, the manufacturers are scared that consumers will pick the iPhone over theres, making Telstra loose multi-million dollar contracts. As we have seen in the international internet test, Australia rated 23 out of 26, the Ukoslav republic's internet is faster than ours, this proves that Telstra's equipment is not in this age and has been out timed. This may be the case with the phones too, Telstra is a company which wants to make maximum profit, minimal loss, without helping it's customers.

Anonymous said...

Apple and At&t have created a closed system which they are presently being sued for. iPhone should be available to all networks and Apple has made updates that render the phone useless if you have software modified the phone to work on another network. Typical Apple. I would hate to see this phone locked to Telstra and if it is I will buy an LG Voyager. It has a GPS included in it. Better than Apple in that respect. iPhone should interface with the Mac better than it does. e.g. it should allow the Mac to connect via the phone 802.1 to the net and it doesn't. Talk about knitting and getting that right.

Anonymous said...

I am a business customer of telstras, and I have used vodafone, optus, and orange, and I can tell you right now by far and wide, telstra is mind bogglingly the worst company to deal with, get services from, maintenance from or ANYTHING. I spend $1600 per month minimum with them on various services, and they disgust me. I'm constantly astounded and continue to be left in the cold in regards to services. I compare being a telstra customer and trying to get the basic install that you signed on for like trying to call communist russia back in the 1950's and order a chicken. They're a disgrace and a ratbag bunch of stupid ignorant morons with no business sense whatsoever. I have yet to meet a semi conscious employee at telstra who I didn't have to remind them that I was the customer not their subordinate employee. I use apple products across the board they're great, not flawless but almost, and I remind myself of how windoze used to be. Apple rocks, I hope they are smart enough to avoid telstra like the friggin black plague.

Anonymous said...

Telstra,Telstra, Telstra. Where do you start. This company is so far behind the times with everything it's not funny. Their main goal is to keep control of the entire market by making it impossible for others to compete. They own the lions share of the infrastructure and use it to keep prices high and slow down the deployment of new technology to a pace that allows them to milk the most from older technology (eg ISDN).

Telstra is bagging out the iPhone because they have no intention of letting Apple change the mobile landscape with its revenue sharing and refusal to subsidise the hardware. Telstra see Apple and the iPhone as a threat to its control. At the same time they probably just don't see the point to the iPhone. Wake up to the consumer realities of the 21st century Telstra. Embrace new technology and for once focus on customer needs. Listening to the rumours your stubborn attitude may just hand a huge money spinner to the competition.

Anonymous said...

Well, i see everyone hates Telstra. I do to a point, as i pay a premium for a premium internet service. I hope someone makes a bloody descision quickly. I can really make use of the iphone and it's features, 2G or 3G. The browser is the best fully fledged interface i have seen. I don't see what the hol dup is apart from the 3G/2G technology and battery life involved. Here's to seeing the Iphone real soon.... Lethal007

Anonymous said...

Well Telstra own all the lines here anyway, vodafone,3 and westnet all belong to telstra (There is more of course). So in the end Vodafone or some other company will get there hands on this, eventually.

Anonymous said...

iPhone will go with 3 mobile IMO. They are the best mobile company in Aus for tech/price wise.

Anonymous said...

I reckon we should have the ability to choose whichever network we want to be part of, no questions asked.

Of course, companies are there to make money (what else is the purpose of running a business) first and foremost - not that I'm complaining as such; it's a fact of life.

I guess we'll see when it finally hits our shores :)

(In response to the last comment, I compared '3' pricing with other carriers and there is far better pricing elsewhere. I don't know what the heck you must be paying to say it's the best pricing, but I'm sure glad I'm not the one forking out for all the hidden costs I found).

Anonymous said...

Someone said that Telstra owns all the lines, thats so wrong its not funny, Vodafone has their own network, 3 has their own network but use national (not international) roaming with telstra when not inside 3 coverage areas, optus i'm not 100% sure of but i think they now have their own network etc. . . So this has no impact on who will get the phone. At the end of the day all the newtorks pretty well have their own online music purchase portals which conflicts with itunes music store, 3g will be a must have for any network to pick the iphone up because consumers in Australia are not going to want to buy this multimedia marvel if its got really slow net speeds. That kind of defeats the purpose of the device. When it comes out, the most likely scenario will be what usually happens, one company will have temporary exclusive rights to the iphone for a couple of months and then it will begin to roll out to all other carriers who wish to stock it. Contracts in Australia seem to be made on a temporary exclusive stocking rights basis at the time of national release, rather than a complete monopoly of 1 device by one carrier. More than anything everyone needs to calm down, just wait till its released and stop stressing about the rest. We can write as much as we want and speculate as much as we want, but whatever is decided by the head honchos of manufacturer and providers will be a decision we will just have to live with.

Anonymous said...

Australia Should Be introducing the apple iPhone between January-Febuary 2008. Spokes person for Vodafone claims they will be capable to use the iPhone. At last Australia, the long time we have all been waiting for should be here in either a month or two!!

Anonymous said...

I can't believe anyone is stupid enough to invest in Telstra shares.
It is pretty clear they are hopeless and once their monopoly of the infrastructure ends (and it will) they will have to either change completely or disappear.

Anonymous said...

I wonder if telstra are eating there words now after seeing how hugely successful the iphone has been on an international level. 2nd biggest selling phone in the USA now behind blackberry. I hoope apple turn around and tell telstra to "stick it" when the realise they have publicly slammed the phone that could very well make them many many millions and millions.

Unknown said...

the 3G iPhone is not just speculation - Steve Jobs said in his Macworld 2007 keynote address that they would be releasing a 3G iPhone in the future.

Unknown said...

I forgot to mention;

I will NOT buy a new phone until the iPhone comes out....I don't care what other phones Telstra has.

Everytime a telemarketer rings and offers me free handsets I say "If it's not an iPhone, I'm not even going to consider it!"

I will not go on a new contract until it comes with a shiny new iPhone (I have finished my Optus contract and going month by month despite them constantly trying to get me to sign up for another 24 month contract)

Mobile companies take note, I'm surely not the only one waiting to give their business to whoever takes up the iPhone.....whoever gets iPhones, gets my business!

Anonymous said...

After reading all the posts i am sure of my decision...

i should mention that im a rep for another Phone company that no one has even mentioned but any way, i probally port over 10 new customers (from telstra and other companies) a week ( make close to a thousand dollars each time it happens :) ). Soooo many people ask me about the iphones. From what we have been told i will agree with the comment above. We have been told that one provider will have it for 1 month and then others will be allowed to introduce it into there plans.

so definetly wait for the iphone buy it, and then port it too whoever you want.

By the way currentl looking for other individuals who want or need extra money on top of thier current occupation and if u have ever wanted to be in the telecommunications market the time is now. So many people hate telstra and want to port not only to a cheaper company such as ourselves but just want better service.

If you want to know more or are interested in some more money ( and the benefits of working in telecommunications) e-mail me at...

hexen_666@hotmail.com.au

Cheers Henhrig

Anonymous said...

Well, no 3G iPhone was announced at MacWorld this year.....

Anonymous said...

Where is the 3G iPhone? Could it be that Steve Jobs is holding off to sell off the old el crapo version first. We don't care Steve, we need the 3G version now. EDGE speeds suck.
Ps. Why has it taken so long to get here. Hurry Up!

Yves said...

The 3g iphone isn't coming out until May/June. This we know because a Spanish telecom company insinuated it last year. Therefore, why would Steve announce the 3g iPhone in January and have it slow down current sales?

Anonymous said...

I will go with whichever carrier supports the iPhone, like dave said above I have also finished my contract with Vodafone (which i was very happy with) and am very reluctant to go back to telstra - if its telstra only and we are given other carriers a month later i will wait, telstra does not know how to treat its customers and dont realise a simple concept - its far easier to retain customers than find new ones. If I have it my way I will never use telstra services again

Anonymous said...

I am getting a iPhone from the states in 2 weeks from a friend who is coming back from there. I just figure its only $430 AUD from over there and if I get to use it for the next 6-10 months or so before the 3G model comes out here - well thats pretty good.

More so, I hate telstra - they don't offer phone insurance, they charge ridiculous rates on not only phone calls but data as well and they are shit in dealing with customers. I'd prefer Apple hook it up with either 3, Vodafone or Optus.

Maybe even more so 3 - because there data plans are awesome and the iphone is data intensuive.

No 3G announced at Macworld suggests it wont be ready until June/July at the latest - plus then getting the deal done in Australia. I'd be thinking it will be August/Oct before its here.

So my advice is - Why wait?

Anonymous said...

if u want the iphone so bad go on ebay and get an unlocked one which works on any carrier in australia.

ive got a freind whos getting me one from america. my cousin will jailbrake it and install a trubo sim which will run vodafone, optus,virgin and telstra but not three.
if ur waiting for the second version of the iphone whhich will be the 3g one then hibernate cause thats a wile.

if the normal iphone is coming out in australia in june then the second one gonna take even longer.

out

Saad said...
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Anonymous said...
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Saad said...
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i have already added your link to the page but if you provide me with a banner i will put that up within the next 24 hours.

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Jarrod said...

If you ask me Apple has more then enough money to make their own network and then there is no worries with which network Apple is going to pick to cary the iPhone. That way Apple can make more money and make it's network bigger and all the Macs could connect to this network and use it as an internet service.

Anonymous said...

I went into a Adelaide non-Telstra, non-Optus Phone Outlet today where my wife purchased a Blackberry. I stated that I was holding out for the iPhone. The salesman asked whether I wanted to see the iPhone. They went out the back and brought a iPhone in its box sealed. He stated they will be released "this side of July" and that they can order stock now ready for release. However Apple has only sent 8Gig non 3G phones for the intitial launch.

My assumptions from this is that they will not be locked to one carrier.

Paul Devis said...


My assumptions from this is that they will not be locked to one carrier.


Thank You for you post Anon, and I'm really glad to hear what you've said

Unknown said...

vopnrwnlI purchased an iphone in vietnam early in 2008 -i had a bit of trouble with it to start with[in sydney] but i contacted optus and an american tech told me to synch it with itunes and download ALL software updates as well as music photos etc----sinc then it has performed perfectly using my old simcard i had in my nokia---so who do you believe--but if you restore the phone accidently to factory settings your locked out so dont do it unless you have a 3gi sim fergy

Anonymous said...

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http://australian-iphone.blogspot.com/

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