Not so hot anymore
By Chua Hian Hou
PHOTO: REUTERS
THREE weeks after its much-hyped official Singapore launch, demand for the Apple iPhone 3G appears to be cooling.
While Apple and SingTel, which has the exclusive rights to sell the phone, did not reveal sales numbers, analysts and grey-market traders say fewer people are clamouring for the device.
One telecommunications analyst, who asked to remain anonymous, said that iPhone 3G may be 'a victim of its own success'.
Customers, forced to make a reservation to buy the phone, may have opted for other handsets with similar functions, including the HTC Touch, he said.
Meanwhile, reports of the iPhones' problems, like its unreliable connection to overseas 3G networks, could also have turned the tech-savvy crowd off.
The iPhone 3G was officially launched here on Aug 22 to great fanfare. The device allows users to talk, surf the Internet, and play music and videos on its sleek touch-screen interface.
The launch spawned a thriving grey market, in which SingTel customers sold the iPhone to cellphone traders or customers from other mobile phone operators.
But during the last three weeks, prices have plummeted.
Immediately after their launch, grey-market versions of the high-end 16GB iPhones were going for $1,600. That has since fallen to around $1,200. Meanwhile, the low-end 8GB sets can be found for under $1,000, from $1,200 previously, according to cellphone traders and online classified ads.
One seller, student Alex Lim, had been trying to offload his white 16GB set for two weeks now.
'I initially set the price at $1,500, but even after I lowered it, nobody made a serious offer,' he said.
His price now: '$1,200, negotiable'.
A check with five cellphone resellers also revealed that prices and demand were falling.
One trader J. Ng, who has bought and sold 50 SingTel iPhones so far, told The Straits Times that 'the margins for local sales are no longer very worth it'.
He is still buying them and has no shortage of sellers contacting him, but he now exports the sets.
A check at popular online tech forums, like VR-Zone and fuckwarezone, also turned up many more ads hawking the device than wanted ads.
Meanwhile, official sales also appear to be slowing down, said the telecommunications analyst. He pointed to SingTel's decision last week to cancel its policy of requiring customers to make reservations to buy the phone.
Apple declined to give sales numbers, and SingTel spokesman Chia Boon Chong would say only that 'thousands have been sold and customer interest in the iPhone 3G remains high'.
Apple faces another hurdle when it comes to sales: the new version is physically similar to its predecessor, said the analyst.
This, he said, means that many of the 30,000 people who got the original last year saw no reason to get the new one.
SingTel, which has an exclusive deal to sell the device ahead of rivals StarHub and MobileOne,offers the iPhone for between $0 and $848, but buyers must sign a two-year contract.
StarHub and MobileOne are expected to have the iPhone on the shelves by year-end.
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By Chua Hian Hou
PHOTO: REUTERS
THREE weeks after its much-hyped official Singapore launch, demand for the Apple iPhone 3G appears to be cooling.
While Apple and SingTel, which has the exclusive rights to sell the phone, did not reveal sales numbers, analysts and grey-market traders say fewer people are clamouring for the device.
One telecommunications analyst, who asked to remain anonymous, said that iPhone 3G may be 'a victim of its own success'.
Customers, forced to make a reservation to buy the phone, may have opted for other handsets with similar functions, including the HTC Touch, he said.
Meanwhile, reports of the iPhones' problems, like its unreliable connection to overseas 3G networks, could also have turned the tech-savvy crowd off.
The iPhone 3G was officially launched here on Aug 22 to great fanfare. The device allows users to talk, surf the Internet, and play music and videos on its sleek touch-screen interface.
The launch spawned a thriving grey market, in which SingTel customers sold the iPhone to cellphone traders or customers from other mobile phone operators.
But during the last three weeks, prices have plummeted.
Immediately after their launch, grey-market versions of the high-end 16GB iPhones were going for $1,600. That has since fallen to around $1,200. Meanwhile, the low-end 8GB sets can be found for under $1,000, from $1,200 previously, according to cellphone traders and online classified ads.
One seller, student Alex Lim, had been trying to offload his white 16GB set for two weeks now.
'I initially set the price at $1,500, but even after I lowered it, nobody made a serious offer,' he said.
His price now: '$1,200, negotiable'.
A check with five cellphone resellers also revealed that prices and demand were falling.
One trader J. Ng, who has bought and sold 50 SingTel iPhones so far, told The Straits Times that 'the margins for local sales are no longer very worth it'.
He is still buying them and has no shortage of sellers contacting him, but he now exports the sets.
A check at popular online tech forums, like VR-Zone and fuckwarezone, also turned up many more ads hawking the device than wanted ads.
Meanwhile, official sales also appear to be slowing down, said the telecommunications analyst. He pointed to SingTel's decision last week to cancel its policy of requiring customers to make reservations to buy the phone.
Apple declined to give sales numbers, and SingTel spokesman Chia Boon Chong would say only that 'thousands have been sold and customer interest in the iPhone 3G remains high'.
Apple faces another hurdle when it comes to sales: the new version is physically similar to its predecessor, said the analyst.
This, he said, means that many of the 30,000 people who got the original last year saw no reason to get the new one.
SingTel, which has an exclusive deal to sell the device ahead of rivals StarHub and MobileOne,offers the iPhone for between $0 and $848, but buyers must sign a two-year contract.
StarHub and MobileOne are expected to have the iPhone on the shelves by year-end.
Ads by Google
IP Phone - Singapore
Business/Home IP Phone Services IDA Approved, Level3 DID. Get Now!
www.skydio.com
StarHub latest offer
Mobile phone, Internet MaxOnline Special promotion now on cnc only
www.cncmobile.com
Unlock iPhone
Use our 5-minute guide to Unlock your iPhone instantly !
www.my-iPhone-Unlock.com
Singapore Fund
Diversified unit trusts from range of fund managers. Find one for you.
www.avivadirect.sg
Part time income at Home
Housewife in S'pore earns US$300 online daily, so could YOU!
www.simplyrichsg.com
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