Telstra to join Optus and Vodafone on the iPhone bandwagon

It appears as though Telstra will belatedly jump on the iPhone bandwagon and will offer Apple’s 3G mobile device some two weeks after rivals Optus and Vodafone make it available to the public.
According to reports, Telstra will launch Apple's new 3G iPhone in mid July, approximately two weeks after Telstra did not respond to iTnews’ requests for confirmation of its iPhone plans, but according to The Australian, sources close to the telco said it would target a sale date of July 22.Although Telstra has not yet made public its agreement with Apple the telco had previously hinted that sale of the iPhone would be inevitable."Telstra is the market leader in mobiles and we aim to stay that way, so while [we're] not commenting on iPhone or our plans specifically, watch this space,” Telstra spokesperson Peter Taylor previously told iTnews.With Telstra joining Optus and Vodafone as stockists of the 3G iPhone, Australia will now become one of the most competitive iPhone markets in the world.It’s highly likely that Apple’s new Sydney store will also stock the 3G iPhone after the company’s senior vice president of retail hinted at the possibility of it appearing in the shop’s windows.“You might find a phone there in a little bit, but we’re not here to talk about that today,” said Apple’s senior vice president of retail, Ron Johnson,Vodafone and Optus announced their intention to sell the 3G iPhone earlier this month. However, neither Optus, Vodafone nor Telstra, have revealed how they will structure the accompanying data plans for the device.The 3G iPhone will include built-in GPS for real-time mapping and location-based services. It will also feature new iPhone's 2.0 software that will provide support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync, allowing users to send and receive Microsoft Exchange email.

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Apple iPhone

THE next-generation 3G Apple iPhone will be available in Australia on prepay plans without a contract when it is released here next month.
Both Optus and Vodafone – the first carriers to announce an iPhone offering – today confirmed they would offer the handset on a prepay plan, a key concern among the phone’s target demographic.
Vodafone spokesman Greg Spears said customers would be able to buy an iPhone outright and purchase credit without being locked into a contract.
Features such as applications downloads, online synchronisation and email would be available on certain prepay plans, he said.
Both carriers have begun allowing customers to pre-register for an iPhone online and in retail stories.
Apple launched its new 3G iPhone this morning and slashed the cost to almost half the price of the existing model during the Worldwide Developer’s Conference in San Francisco.
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Chief executive officer Steve Jobs said the new phone would be smaller and faster and would appeal to the 56 per cent of people – Apple says – who want an iPhone but have not bought one because of the price.
The new version will be released in Australia on July 11th. Specific contract and pricing details for Australia have not yet been released.
In the US, the new 3G iPhone will cost from $US199 ($209.32) for the 8GB model to $US299 ($314.50) for 16GB.
Despite selling 6 million iPhones in one year, Apple said its research showed the cost of the previous model had put off would-be buyers.
The new model has 3G speeds faster than the Nokia N95 and Treo 750, according to Apple, and is almost on par with WiFi speeds.
It has better battery life, with almost 5 hours of 3G talk time, and sports a slimmer form. Some of the phone’s more innovative features stem from Apple’s software development program.
Apple is internationally launching a new App Store that will make applications available for download onto the iPhone. Games, office tools and even learning aids will be available for free, or around $US9.99 ($10.50), according to demonstrations.
Third-party developers will keep 70 per cent of revenue for applications sold through the App Store, which will add FairPlay digital rights management (DRM) to the files.
The company also announced MobileMe today, an online synchronisation tool that unifies data between computers and the iPhone using a web-based interface. This feature, which includes iDisk integration for online file storage and sending, will replace Apple’s existing .mac service.
The iPhone 3G will be released with version 2.0 software, which includes support for Office and iWork documents, live contact search, bulk message delete, image saving, scientific calculator, language support and parental controls.
Mr Jobs’ keynote address at the Worldwide Developer’s Conference did not mention the iPhone’s camera – which was expected to be upgraded from the existing 2 megapixel configuration – or video chat.
The next-generation model will be released in 22 countries on July 11th and will eventually reach 70 countries in total.
Links
iPhone 3G – http://www.apple.com/au/iphone/iPhone on Vodafone – http://iphone.vodafone.com.au/iPhone on Optus – http://www.optusiphone.com.au/

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GS