Apple's new iPhone 3G S will likely cost about the same as its predecessor, the iPhone 3G, while the price-tag of the latter will drop, say industry observers. --PHOTO: REUTERS
APPLE'S new iPhone 3G S will likely cost about the same as its predecessor, the iPhone 3G, while the price-tag of the latter will drop, say industry observers.
Last year, exclusive distributor SingTel gave the iPhone 3G free to users who took up a two-year high-end plan, while those with lower-end plans had to pay up to $848.
A SingTel spokesman said the company will reveal pricing details closer to the phone's July launch date.
Consulting firm Gartner's research director for carrier operations and strategies, Mr Foong King Yew, predicts that SingTel, which retained its exclusive deal for the uber-handset, will 'sell the new model at about the same price...the value proposition is that you get more for less.'
The new model, unveiled on Monday in the United States, boasts capacity up to 32GB, an autofocus digital camera, video recording and improved battery life.
Research firm Ovum's regional analyst, Mr Nathan Burley, said latest price cuts for the iPhone 3G in the United States, from US$199 to US$99 (S$290 to S$144), should also 'occur in other markets, including Singapore'.
Just how much the iPhone 3G will cost is hard to say, although discounts will have to be significant to 'differentiate it from the new iPhone 3G S', added Mr Foong.
Both analysts believe sales will not be as brisk as those of the iPhone 3G, the first model to be officially sold here.
The original iPhone, launched in 2007, was never sold here, although some keen to be part of the craze managed to buy them overseas and hack the phone's software to allow it to be used on local mobile networks.
Thus, when the iPhone 3G got its official launch here, there was 'so much hype, so much pent up demand' for it, said Mr Foong.
Read the full report in Wednesday's edition of The Straits Times.
