Philippine Cell Phones

Apple had some launch day bumbles…

With Apple’s servers overloaded and unable to accommodate customer demand, eager buyers who had camped out all week to acquire the new phone were thwarted. Though the new-generation phones were designed to be activated in-store, salespeople instructed customers Friday to go home, connect the phone to a personal computer and download new software to activate it.

Reminds me of what happened to Globe Telecom around 10 years ago when they introduced the short message system service (SMS).  A company with a very popular product encounters unexpected problems.

“It’s been crazy the whole day,” he said. “Our server has been really busy and has been timing out.” - Apple Tech support

Now isn’t this just a happy problem?  You have so much demand for your product that your servers can’t cope up. I’d love this to happen to my company. Eventually, it was resolved:

On a day that should have been a celebration for the company, Apple’s stock fell more than 2%. Toward the end of the day, however, many of the early technical problems seemed to have been resolved. By 6 p.m., after retrying several times, Kroll said he was able to download and use the free apps he had selected.

And the lesson?

“…is that nobody executes perfectly, not even Apple.’

The mobile world is abuzz with the Samsung Instinct:

.The Instinct is basically Samsung’s reinvention of the iPhone idea: a slick-looking, touch-driven, multimedia handheld that brings a lot of non-phone features to the front, without being a full-fledged smartphone.

* Service Provider: Sprint PCS
* Screen Size: 3.1 inches
* Screen Details: 3.1″, 240×432, 262k-color TFT LCD touch screen
* Camera: Yes
* Megapixels: 2 MP
* Bluetooth: Yes
* Web Browser: Yes
* Network: CDMA
* Bands: 850, 1900
* High-Speed Data: 1xRTT, EVDO

The instinct is said to be flying of the shelves.

“…the carrier has announced that the Samsung device has become its best-selling EV-DO device ever in the first week of availability.”

Not available in Manila yet. Wish it were so we could compare.

They have the web page to prove it. See?

They even have the globe logo on Apple’s landing page!

What a win for Globe. I’m a SMART user who might just switch to Globe because of the iPhone 3G. Guess what, it’s going to be available PREPAID! There goes everyone’s Christmas bonuses.

The recently launched iPhone 3G will be available to Globe’s postpaid and prepaid subscribers in the Philippines later this year, according to a Globe announcement.

Looks like the iPhone has been eating away Nokia’s share. Not surprising as Apple is really marketing their Iphones as the ultimate mobile device.

Nokia’s first-quarter global market share of so-called smartphones fell to 45.2 percent from 46.7 percent a year earlier, Gartner said today in an e-mailed statement. Research In Motion increased its share to 13.4 percent from 8.3 percent. Apple grabbed 5.3 percent of the market with its iPhone music player and handset, which wasn’t available a year ago.

This seems a bit contradictory to what Abe just posted on on how the blackberry is still beating the iphone:

According to a recent IDC report, RIM’s Blackberry beat out the Apple iPhone 2-to-1 in the first quarter of 2008. Despite Apple’s bulling marketing and hype, it looks like the Blackberry is still king of the smartphones. Can’t believe it either.

Sales versus market share and IDC versus Gartner. Which to believe eh?

An interesting update on the Inquirer website:

Globe Telecom will be among the first telecom operators in Asia to officially carry Apple’s popular iPhone handset.

A two-paragraph statement on Globe’s website said the mobile communications firm had signed an agreement with Apple along with Singapore’s Singtel, India’s Bharti Airtel and Australia’s Optus.

So looks like Globe’s going to be first.  How will Smart Philippines React?

 From Technogra.ph:

Optimistic rumors place a Philippine iPhone launch by the first quarter of 2008, while more realistic assessments place it much later than that. Whatever the case, the very active iPhone thread over at philmug.org proves that many Filipinos go through the trouble of buying an iPhone and unlocking for use in the Philippines, no matter how far off the official launch is. In the grey market mecca of Greenhills, numerous vendors already offer iPhone unlocking services.

Looks like it will take a while for the iPhone to come out in Manila.

John is selling unlocked iPhones. He posts:

Hello

I have Brand new and Unlocked ready to use Apple iPhone 8GB Phones.
PRICE: $300 USD per unit
SPECIAL OFFER ” BUY 5 UNITS AND GET 2 UNITS FREE” + FREE SHIPPING.

In the box:

• iPhone
• Stereo Headset
• Dock
• Dock Connector to USB Cable
• USB Power Adapter
• Documentation
• Cleaning/polishing cloth

To purchase the iPhones ,pls get back to me with these details below :

• How many units do you want to buy ?
• Where are you located ?
• How soon do you want it ?

Feel free to contact me via e-mail at : datadltd (at) gmail.com

Apparently Pinoys are making money out of unlocking iPhones. Please be advised, however that if you buy unlocked iPhones, you loose Apple Tech Support.

If you don’t know yet, the Philippines is considered as the `SMS capital of the world.’ This little distinction gives us Pinoys some insight on cell phones. We’ve had quite a number of advanced value-added mobile services like G-cash or Smart Money. We buy and sell cell phones like candy.

My opinion: The iPhone is not for Pinoys.

1. It’s too expensive. US$499 and US$499 (somewhere around Php30k & Php40k) is too much for a lot of Filipinos. The fact is, you hardly see people with Treos, N90s or blackberries here. The price range is exclusively for the high end market.
2. It doesn’t have 3G.  I am told that 3G is not prevalent in the US. Here, my tech buddies rely on it for mobile Internet. They usually use a bluetooth-enabled laptop that connects to a bluetooth cellphone with 3G. The internet experience has been pretty good and is much more practical than PLDT weRoam or Globe Visibility. You get 30 minutes of decent Internet connectivity for 10 pesos (20 US cents).
3. It will take too long to be released here. The iPhone is slated for release in Asia in 2008. That’s one whole year of waiting. I’m pretty sure that by that time Sony-Ericsson and Nokia while have released more affordable alternative devices. Their goal would be to beat the iPhone before it comes out. With an established distribution network here, Nokia, SE and the other companies already have an enormous advantage.

No, I don’t think the iPhone will sell here. Not yet. Unfortunately, the Philippines is simply not Apple’s target market. I give it probably 2-3 years before I’ll see it amongst ordinary Pinoys.