The beast itself
With today’s announcement of the iPhone 4 at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, we take a look at how the device will affect New Zealanders, what new features it will unlock and which carrier or carriers it will be provided on.
I won’t go into too much detail about the device itself here, as there will be many articles posted about it on this blog as the day progresses. This post is primarily about how the device and New Zealand will get along.
UMTS 900MHz
Apple have added extra band functionality to the iPhone 4. It now supports Quad-band UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100MHz). This might not be significant to many of our readers, however this means that the iPhone now supports Vodafone’s extended 3G service. No longer is Telecom the ‘ideal’ carrier for the iPhone in New Zealand – they are now matched with Vodafone being able to provide better coverage for customers who upgrade.
Micro SIMs
The iPhone 4, like the iPad 3G, now sports a Micro SIM tray as opposed to a full-sized SIM tray. This means that the regular sized SIM cards available from carriers in New Zealand will not fit and work in the phone. Carriers will need to provide new SIM cards to people wishing to upgrade, or you could try your hand at some hackery. Both Vodafone and Telecom have confirmed they are getting Micro SIMs but have yet to announce a date when they will be available to the public. One would hope this announcement makes them speed up the process.
Which carrier(s)?
As I have explained, Vodafone and Telecom are now pretty much matched for speed and coverage on the iPhone, with the addition of UMTS 900MHz. However, one must ponder whether the ‘rights’ to the iPhone 4 will go to Vodafone, Telecom or both. New player 2degrees would most likely not be considered as they have not established a 3G network yet, and the phone would perform poorly on 2G only. However, going by past years, the phone will be factory unlocked and able to be switched to any carrier at any time.
Vodafone will be especially keen to carry the iPhone 4 due to it’s new found support for the carrier. Telecom have stated, actually during their massive XT outages earlier in the year, that they are no longer interested in the iPhone. Not to say they would decline the offer, but more they won’t go out of their way to get it.
When?
Unfortunately, like the iPhone 3GS, the iPhone 4 will not be available in New Zealand until the end of July – during the “second wave” .
iPhone 4 will roll out worldwide to 88 countries by the end of September. iPhone 4 will be available by the end of July in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
What do you think about the iPhone 4′s compatibility and potential in New Zealand? Let us know in the comments below.
End of July… well I guess the advantage of that is it gives me a bit of more time to save up, so maybe I’ll get one for me and one for my Wife..
(Yaman_NZ has made 184 comments)
2degrees only resell Vodafone’s 2G network AFAIK.
Matched for speed and coverage? Really? So you’re telling me that in my office in Auckland, where on Vodafone my iPhone would get one bar of 3G then drop down to GPRS the second I started using it, is now matched with XT which has full 3G and fast speed in the same office, just because iPhone 4 now has 900MHz UMTS support?
Don’t get me wrong I think the addition of this band will be great for people outside of the main centres, but for those in main centres where 900MHz doesn’t really exist, I really still don’t think you’ll be able to compare Vodafone with XT and come to the conclusion that they are matched for speed and coverage.
(corksta has made 28 comments)
corksta, I’m still a full XT supporter but you do realise that a big chunk of Vodafone’s network is their extended 3g on 900MHz. There will be a noitceable difference, and it will be faster. Vodafone will be matched with XT, if not faster.
Absolutely there will be a noticeable difference and I think it’s great. Admittedly I’m only speaking of my experience when I was on Vodafone, but I know I’m not the only person who was sick of it dropping back to GPRS, so the addition of the extra band won’t make the slightest difference for me and I’m sure the scenario I used above would still be the same with the new model. In my situation, and other people like me where 900MHz isn’t a factor, XT will still be the superior network.
But to be honest I’m really looking forward to the comparisons that will no doubt be made between the two networks once iPhone 4 is released, I’m sure the numbers will be interesting.
(corksta has made 28 comments)
So you’re assuming there is no 900MHz coverage in your area? Interesting.
No not assuming. Going by what I know and the coverage maps on Vodafone’s site.
(corksta has made 28 comments)
emilang wrote:
That’s US$299 before taxes and ONLY when signing a two-year contract. iPhones are locked to AT&T so you won’t be able to put any other SIM into it. If prices there are the same as the 3GS, my guess is pricing (for buying outright) will be similar to what it is now for us. How much of a subsidy Vodafone offers is completely up to them.
(corksta has made 28 comments)
@ corksta:
Ooh I see I see! Thank you! So you think it’ll be also around $1350 NZD?
(emilang has made 18 comments)
emilang wrote:
It’s just a guess of course. Pricing of iPhone 4 in the US has remained the same as the 3GS, but Apple also takes into account exchange rates at the time when setting the price of a product, so I’m picking that NZ prices will be pretty similar to what they are now – you’re not going to see hundreds of dollars difference (either side of the current price), but hopefully it’ll be a bit cheaper than what it is now to buy one outright.
(corksta has made 28 comments)
@ corksta:
Thanks! Now all I have to do is sell my current iPhone 3GS >< God damn.. Lost over $250 just like that!
Ahh I understand!
(emilang has made 18 comments)
Yeah I’m sure there’ll be an influx of 3Gs and 3GS’ on Trade Me pretty soon – mine included!!
(corksta has made 28 comments)
3GS was a disappointing upgrade, but it sold like a mofo.
This upgrade is pretty good by Apple standards IMO. Retina display and HD recording and way slicker looks seal the deal for me.. Bring on July!
Good thing I sold my 3GS early (and made some coin). Good luck with the sales guys!
(kanz has made 32 comments)
Yeah good annoucement as the phones are getting better. But Vodafone vs Telecom…I don't really care…it would be more about pricing and plans and data allowances. Unfortunately in NZ we are so far removed from the great deals they get in Aussie or the states.
(FatCatMatt has made 10 comments)
I'm on 2degrees and in my area they use vodafones network, does this mean I would be on vodafones 3G for data?
(Omad has made 65 comments)
Thanks Mak – to look at the bright side, at least I won't have to worry about huge data bills.
(Omad has made 65 comments)
I'm very interested in the iPhone 4. They say it's $299USD in America, how much do you think it'll be in NZ? And are we able to buy for $299 in America and use a Telecom XT simcard to use in New Zealand?
(emilang has made 18 comments)
will there be a big line at 12 pm like with the 3g? cuz i wanna go!
(roguecereal has made 1 comment)
No point in selling yet if you plan on using XT. They're not even sure if they'll have Micro SIMs in time. It could be outrageously priced, too.
You're also neglecting that the 32GB 3GS will be discontinued when the 4 is released. The price will not drop for long as there are no more entering the market. I would even speculate the price would go up after a while (not passed RRP but far above the current slump of ~$900).
Still lots of factors to consider, at least for me, before I sell my 3GS.
Mak – Pure speculation and guess work on my behalf but previously we have seen the next addition come in at the old "out dated" version price, so the 32GB Iphone 4G should come in at around the $1300 that the current Iphone 3GS was at (prior to price drop). This will mean the 32GB 3GS loses its value somewhat as who wants a 3GS when you can get the Iphone 4. I don't see the 3GS price going back up but down and then disappearing completely. Just my 2 cents worth and selling now is going to get the best $$ for it but then we dont have the Iphone 4 yet to buy. There will be a fine line between getting maximum resale for the 3GS and leaving it too long that "buyers" have other options.
With regards the micro sims, they are very easily fashioned and this site even shows how to do it very successfully.
(camtab has made 464 comments)