The iPhone is in the news again…so to speak, it never
actually left…but this time, we might get closer to a new announcement: the 3G iPhone
era is on its way! Why? Two elements come to answer our dilemma: first of all,
the iPhone is sold out! And here’s where the second element comes in: if it’s
sold out, why would Apple close new deals and engage to bring the iPhone to
more markets, including Asia and Australia? They wouldn’t want some disappointed
customers, would they?
Rumors have it that Apple prepares to unveil two versions of
the 3G iPhone, the 8GB and the 16GB models, and this June could be the perfect
time to release them, at least considering the developers conference that is set
to take place around that time. Of course, as always, Apple isn’t very chatty
about their plans, and they stick to the same old habit: no news till it’s good
news!
Patience! They must be up to something, that’s for sure!
Apple, and consequently iPhone fans, have been asking for more for some time
now… and talks of Apple working on a new set of iPhones also started to emerge.
The conclusion: the new iPhone would better have 3G, otherwise they will have
some explaining to do to some very disappointed fans!
Earlier this week, the company unveiled that the iPhone is
no longer available on its online stores in U.K. and U.S., without giving any
insight on whether it plans to restock…another reason to believe that they have
something “in store” for us.
At the end of last month, U.K. carrier O2 managed to empty
its iPhone inventory by slashing the prices, from £269 to £169…and that
was one good marketing strategy! The sales went through the roof, the model
became no longer available and O2 said it had no plans of renewing the stock.
So it must be the 3G! If we think of it, how badly does
Apple need this release? Pretty bad, if they want to reach the 10 million units
sold (a 3G model would do that). And that’s not all: the competition gets tougher,
as RIM and Palm are always working on some smarter, faster, over-the-top
smartphone. Just this week, Blackberry’s Bold model pushed RIM’s shares to an
all-time high.
Apple is currently expanding its market all over the world,
and over the past months, it went on from an exclusive deal with one carrier to
deals with European carriers, who brought the iPhone in U.K., Germany and
France in November 2007, and to Ireland and Australia in March 2008.
Other deals are on the way, as Vodafone revealed its
agreement with Apple to introduce the iPhone to ten more markets: Australia,
the Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, Italy, India, Portugal, New Zealand, South
Africa and Turkey. Earlier this week, other carriers (SingTel, Bharti Airtel,
Globe and Optus) also engaged to bringing the iPhone to Singapore, India,
Philippines and Australia.
What other explanation for all this “iPhone all over the
world” movement is there? Apple certainly wants its 10 million units sold by
the end of the year, and competition gets tougher… Despite the fact that they’re
being silent about all the rumors, the 2008 World Wide Developers conference is
just a few weeks away, and Jobs will have to show the ace up his sleeve then!
