Apple’s 3G iPhone Hits Thailand
By Talen on Jan 21, 2009 in Thailand News
At roughly $700 ( 23,275 baht) for the basic package, the Apple 3G iPhone doesn’t seem to be a steal, especially considering there is no 3G network available yet in Thailand. Although True, the authorized Thai carrier of the iPhone, has thousands of WiFi spots throughout Thailand it’s still a pricey proposition when you can’t really utilize a lot of the iPhones capabilities.The basic package comes with the 8G iPhone and a monthly package charge of $17 (599 baht).
Even with the high price tag and less capability the iPhone is in demand and many people lined up to get their shiny new gadget last Friday when the phones that were pre-registered back in December were released. True Move, who will be the official carrier in Thailand, will have 3G iPhones for sale in their stores as of February 16th.
True spent three months in negotiations with Apple to be their Authorized dealer in Thailand and they reportedly committed to selling 100,000 3G iPhones a year for the next three years. Once the initial hoopla dies down I think True will have a problem moving that many iPhones at that price point. Once people begin to realize the price VS capability difference I think they will go back to better options such as Nokia.
True will also offer 3G iPhones without a package to be used on other Thai networks at a cost of $709 (24,500 baht) for the 8G phone and $825 (28,500 baht) for the 16G phone. With initial demand I would think these prices will go up until adequate supply is around.
Below is the True Move pricing chart that links through to their web site for more information.
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At 700 dollars I think most of the sales are going to be Bangkok based. Even the Pattaya sponsored bar girls are going to struggle to convince their “boyfriends” to pay that amount. In a credit crunch they might find he prefers many a liquid lunch to shelling out on the Apple 3G iPhone.
Hoo Dons last blog post..Ting Tong and Dong
I would say it’s a safe bet you’re right Hoo Don. I just don’t see how they can justify these prices and doubt seriously they will hit their sales goals without major price reductions.
you could get a cracked version in MBK for months now!
Nomadic Matts last blog post..Carnival of Blogs #13
The cracked version isn’t cheap either. Supposedly Apple has some tricks up their sleeves to thwart the crackers but I’m sure they will have a work around.
Talen, I just picked up my iPhone yesterday.
From what I can tell, Thailand is not having a problem selling the iPhone. They are having a problem keeping the Apple 3G 16 in stock.
My local Mac didn’t have it and wasn’t sure when the new stock would arrive. They got on the phone and called around to find me one. That’s all they found.
I’m glad I like black.
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