We have also been able to confirm that the new Apple store which is set to opened on the 19th of June 2008 by Apple CEO Steve Jobs will sell the new Apple 3G iPhone however they will not be offering a communications plan, instead consumers will have to pay in full for a new iPhone which will be configured to deliver one of three new 3G services from Telstra, Optus or Vodafone. Consumers not on these networks will have to switch to one of these carriers to get the full 3G benefits the networks are delivering.
On Monday, Tuesday morning in Australia, Apple CEO Steve Jobs is expected to reveal the new iPhone with shipments already supplied to phone carriers in the USA it is also expected that the iPhone will go on sale in the US on the same day and on the 19th if not earlier in Australia.
In discussions with three carriers this week it has emerged that both Vodaphone and Optus are not bullish about long term sales for the Apple iPhone. They are also reluctant to stock premium accessories for the iPhone such as the popular Bluetooth attachment from Jawbone which was selling at 30,000 a week in the USA.
Currently priced at $139 in Australia the popular Jawbone earpiece is set to be replaced by new product in August that will have more appeal for women.
The three distributors that are set to benefit from the roll out of the new iPhone are Roadhound, Conexus and Cellnet. According to both Optus and Vodaphone the price points to shift volume in the phone accessory market including the new iPhone market they say is between $9.95 and $19.95.
This say premium distributors will result in the carriers carrying cheap made in China accessories instead of the premium products that will be carried in the new Sydney Apple store.
David Murray a director at Conexus said "We believe that the market for the new iPhone will be big in Australia. We also believe that the consumer who buys a 3G iPhone will more than likely prefer to buy a premium accessory as opposed to a cheap made in China accessory which will flood the market as soon as the iPhone is launched here. We cannot talk about the Apple Shop but if the Apple shop is carrying premium iPhone accessories or even iPod accessories and the carriers are not the chances are that the early adopters of the iPhone will buy one from the Apple shop as they are most likely to be on a 3G plan and all they want is a phone".
