It’s finally here, people. And boy, do I have some great news to share. Just to underline the topic of the day, the iPhone 3G has officially landed on our neighbouring shores and makes it debut today, August the 22nd. Those of us who’ve been holding out on the iPhone 3G hit since July 11th, get your passports and vehicles fueled up, because this is gonna be one awesome trip you don’t wanna miss ;) As of now, reports are already gushing in from the frontlines of Apple Stores all over the island next door, and from the pictures taken I believe this has marked Apple’s biggest event around these places in the last…. I don’t know, decade? One word, the queues. And of course, my fellow Malaysians, there’s another reason for us to join in the festivities.
First, I’m gonna walk you guys down the timeline leading up to this momentous event.
- March 20th – Rumours are out that Singapore will be receiving the Apple iPhone later in September 08. iPhone 3G still unknown to the world.
- May 12th – Singtel Communications announces that it will bring the Apple iPhone to Singapore, Phillippines, India and Australia (Optus). Excitement begins to build.
- June 9th – Apple announces Singapore as one of the 70 countries worldwide to receive the iPhone 3G at the Worldwide Developers Conference 2008. All rumours are confirmed.
- July 11th – The first wave of iPhone 3Gs hits the world, including New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong and Japan around our region.
- August 12th – Singtel Communications officially announces iPhone 3G launch date on August 22nd and tells us to stay tuned for plans and pricing details.
- August 19th – Singtel Communications officially reveals iPhone 3G plans and pricing plans to the public in the form of iFlexi plans (with data plan) and Singtel plans (without data plans).
- August 22nd – The long-awaited and hyped launch date.
Launch Date Announcement
Singtel Plans (Non-Data)
iFlexi Plans (With Data)
As of 12:03am today, overjoyed Singaporeans in the acclaimed ‘more than a thousand in line’ queue outside Apple Stores all over Singapore have finally got their hands on the iPhone 3G. Reports also indicate that Apple has learnt its lesson well from the arguably disastreous launches in the US as well as all over the world, where activation servers were unable to cope with the severe load of iPhone in-store activations worldwide. Thus far, there have only been reports of nothing but success and happy customers for the Singapore launch. Kudos to Apple for that! Unlike in the States and NZ, queues in front of Singapore Apple Stores began only around noon on Thursday, August 21st. And like Apple’s flagship 5th Avenue Store in the US, Singapore’s very own glasshouse Apple Store looked equally majestic, with a large ribbon tied around the entrance as you will see in the photos below.
Additionally, as a treat to my fellow Malaysians, it has been confirmed that the Singaporean Apple iPhone 3Gs will be FULLY UNLOCKED and has been tested on all GSM carriers, be it on StarHub, M1, and even our very own Maxis, DiGi and Celcom, due to Singapore’s laws restricting anti-competitive arrangements in telecommunications services. [READ HERE] However, all phones must still be activated in-store, with an additional SGD$800 as contract termination fees should you decide to terminate your mandatory 12-24 month contract AFTER signing up. This means acquiring a contract-free iPhone 3G from Singapore would be significantly more difficult than in New Zealand ones. Let me break it down for you, based on what I know thus far :
New Zealand >> Go to Apple Store >> Pay NZD$979 (8GB) / NZD$1129 (16GB) >> Walk straight on home with an unlocked, contract-free outright iPhone 3G
Singapore >> Go To Apple Store >> Choose A Plan >> Sign Contract Agreement >> Pay for iPhone 3G + First Month Contract Fees Accordingly >> Go Home OR Stay >> Sign Contract Termination >> Pay SGD$800
As you can see here, acquiring an iPhone 3G from Singapore will be of significantly more hassle. As for the costs, I will not comment on this at the moment as I’m not sure how Singtel calculates the termination costs. Why’s that? Take a look at say, the most expensive iThree Plus or iFlexi Premium plans above, where the iPhone cost is supposed to be SGD$0. So if I terminate my contract, wouldn’t that mean that I’d only be paying SGD$800 / RM1.9k for an outright unlocked iPhone 3G. Not bad, huh? Seems plausible, but I’m gonna wait until we get more information from Singaporean users. Anyhow, here are some pictures of the Singapore launch, courtesy of CNET.com
Before I end this, here’s some extra information related to the iPhone 3G’s nearly 2 months in use by people worldwide :
- There have been reports of mild yellowish tints and colour tones on the LCDs of the iPhone 3Gs where compared side-by-side to the 1st Gen iPhones which had more neutral tones. Initial hardware dissections revealed that the LCD panels used in the iPhone 3Gs are the exact same models as the ones in the 1st Gen iPhones, just as Apple had claimed. Apple later confirmed that these newly introduced tones were to enhance and allow warmer colours on the iPhone 3Gs displays. These tones can be fixed by a little screen calibration in a firmware update.
- Several users around the world from Japan to the UK have reported cracks appearing on the backs of the WHITE iPhone 3Gs. All reports indicate that these phones had not suffered any form of abuse or shock, and that these cracks appear to only plague the WHITE models. No further updates as of now.
- In contradiction to some claims and complaints towards the iPhone 3Gs (despite the fact that I’m not a user of one yet myself), the acclaimed ‘plastic’ back is not merely cheap plastic that is used in producing toys and such, but a form of polycarbonate with several layers of gloss, which will not turn yellowish or suffer scratches easily as people usually assume.
All in all, it’s only been the Apple iPhone 3G’s first month of shelflife, but statistics have already shown the huge boom in its popularity, not so much because of the 3G and GPS, but the huge variety of 3rd party applications available in the App Store. My current favourite are 2 games [SPOILER] Monkeys & Water Droplets :P [/SPOILER] as well as a rather pointless but nevertheless fun toy app. Stay tuned for my next article! Thanks for reading.
Sincerely,
Timothy Goh
Danny,
Any updates bout the cancellation fee t&c where u take up the most expensive plan (iPhone 3G = S$0) and then terminate the contract to get the phone?
So impatient mer, must double post. :P
Anyway, I thought the termination fee was already stated. But since you mentioned going on the plan where iPhone 3G is not paid for, I believe you’ll then be tied to the T&C related to the package subscription of minimum stated length of time.
When is Malaysia going to have this phone? :?
*shrug* only time will tell…
Danny,
So an iPhone will cost more than SG$1300 if the contract is terminated before 24 months right?
I’m assuming so Hassan.
From Singtel’s website..http://home.singtel.com/singtel/iphone/support_iphone.html#z8
What will happen if I terminate my contract before my contract period is over?
For new customers who terminate within the three month minimum subscription period, the three month subscription charge on respective price plans will still be payable plus an $800 equipment penalty.
For terminations after the minimum three months subscription period, the $800 equipment penalty will apply. For existing customers who terminate at anytime within the contract period, the $800 equipment penalty will apply.
In other words, you’re still going to be spending a large amount to get the iPhone 3G from Singapore. Time and energy included.
danny….if i get myself the 16gb iphone 3g with the iflexi plus that will cost me 208$ for iphone and terminate the contract by tommorow….i will jus have to add 800$ and the total will just be 1008$ right??can i do that….. you know what im trying to say..
lol XD….
godspeed:
I can’t be certain of the actual amount since I don’t live there. So it’ll be wiser to enquire within the Singtel shop or something. I’m sure one of them should know more about this since I’m also sure a lot of Singapore or Malaysians may have only wanted the iPhone itself. :P
Hi Danny,
I was going through your posts on iphone 3g in singapore where apparently it is sold in the unlocked status. This is confirmed from the website of apple. http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1937 .
My question is a little different. Suppose i buy the phone in singapore on a basic least cost contract (say at some price of approx $200+), The next day or next week i permanently relocate to another country like india and insert the sim card of the local carrier there in for permanent use.
How will Singtel in this case ensure that they end up getting the remaining part of the money of the contract. By doing such a thing I am also not paying up the $800 unlocking fees and still ending up using the phone at a cheaper cost. How have they avoided this thing?
I am not based in singapore, so had a doubt whether i could buy an iphone there (when i visit) and get it in my home country and use it with any local carrier (since it is anyway an unlocked phone)
Would greatly appreciate your response to my queries.
Thanks
Venky
That certainly is a very good question, venky.
Though I may not be the best person to ask about this – not being Singaporean and all. But I’ve a feeling SingTel is putting trust into their consumers. Plus, I’m sure they’ll have you sign some legal binding contract.
Well, I’m not one with the answers for this. But I’ll see if I can find out about this.
If you are a foreigner signing up for a mobile phone contract in Singapore with the local telcos, I think you need to produce your work permit or employment pass or whatsoever documents that shows that you are working or studying in singapore for the period in which you are supposed to be contracted to their mobile phone contract… (i don’t think your passport alone can get you an iphone on contract unless you produce documents that you are working or studying in singapore)
On top of that, a foreigner need to pay additional deposit fees when they sign up a contract and this is on top of everything else that you may be paying for, such as the SIM card, activation fees etc( if any). This deposit is usually in the hundreds. (though I am not sure if Singtel will ask for a higher deposit for a iPhone contract since iPhone is in hot demand)
singtel is one of biggest telco in the asia pacific region, so i am pretty sure they are quite well protected in terms of their commercial interest, and as far as they can possibly do within the limits of the singapore laws..
many singaporeans are still waiting for the other singapore telcos to launch the iphone, myself and a group of other friends included… hehe
Excellent insight for Singapore, Donald. :)
I’m very sure many here will find your comment very valuable – especially if they’re going down to CNY in the holiday. LOL!
wad if i just want to buy the iphone 3g in singapore without any contract,
how much does it cost?
what about the rumour of $199 iphone 3g,can u explain?
Apparently, some stores in Singapore are selling the iPhone without contract for SGD1390. But this was dated back to September 2008. I’m not located in Singapore may not be the best person to ask.
If you were referring to the iPhone 3GS, like you I’m awaiting news from my reseller as well. That’s one iPhone I hope to test. :D