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South Korean iPhone 4 preorders hit 130K in first 13 hours

post #1 of 45
8/18/10 at 3:55pm
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Preorders for the iPhone 4 in South Korea were so overwhelming Wednesday that they brought down the servers of carrier KT Corp., which sold 130,000 handsets by 7 p.m. local time.

According to The Korea Herald, customers in South Korea showed significant demand for the iPhone 4 when it went on sale via KT's website and at its 2,900 shops nationwide. The phone went on sale at 6 a.m. and sold 100,000 by 1 p.m. local time, eventually reaching 130,000, 13 hours after preorders began.

The numbers are a significant increase from last December, when the iPhone 3GS sold 60,000 units at launch. The iPhone 4 is set to launch in Kora sometime in September.

Demand for the iPhone 4 was so strong in South Korea that KT had to expand the server for its website. The site was crashing throughout the day as customers attempted to preorder Apple's latest handset. KT is the second-largest carrier in the country.

South Korea's preorder troubles are not unique -- carrier AT&T experienced similar difficulties in June, when customers could first place their order for the iPhone 4. Demand for Apple's newest smartphone was ten times higher on opening day than it was for its predecessor, the iPhone 3GS.

Apple later announced that more than 600,000 preorders were achieved on the first day of iPhone 4 sales. The handset launched in June in the U.S., France, Germany, the U.K. and Japan. Apple plans to quickly ramp up the iPhone 4 international launch to 87 total countries by September, its fastest-ever global deployment of a new handset.
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post #2 of 45
8/18/10 at 4:09pm
Only 130K!?
Apple is Doomed!
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The true measure of a man is how he treats someone that can do him absolutely no good.
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post #3 of 45
8/18/10 at 4:15pm
Not too bad for a "flawed" phone with a "defective design".

Always love to hear news that throws mud in the faces of trolls and critics.

I enjoy using my iP4 every single day.
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post #4 of 45
8/18/10 at 4:20pm
...it would be a hit there. South Koreans are a very sophisticated, gregarious, tech-savvy society. I should know, I was stationed in Korea for a year. One only needs to step down at their award winning, ultra-modern Incheon International Airport near Seoul to know what I'm talking about.
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post #5 of 45
8/18/10 at 4:39pm
Quote:
The iPhone 4 is set to launch in Kora sometime in September.

Spell check, Katie. Spell check!

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post #6 of 45
8/18/10 at 4:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jarvijarv View Post

...it would be a hit there. South Koreans are a very sophisticated, gregarious, tech-savvy society. I should know, I was stationed in Korea for a year. One only needs to step down at their award winning, ultra-modern Incheon International Airport in Seoul to know what I'm talking about.

Actually, I find Incheon Airport to be very cold and impersonal; but that's an aside. I agree with your first point that Koreans are very tech-savvy. What makes the number of pre-orders more incredible though is that Apple is competing against SK (Korea's largest telecom provider) and Samsung (One of Korea's largest and most respected companies) with the Samsung Galaxy S. SK have been flogging the Galaxy S with deals that include bringing your old iPhone in for a rebate on the Galaxy S. Apple is also competing against the Korean mindset that says if it's not made in Korea it's not good; though that mindset is now changing.

As a final point the iPhone pre-orders in Korea were higher per-capita than in the US. Apple would do well to make Korea one of its first tier countries.
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post #7 of 45
8/18/10 at 4:43pm
So much for the "problems" and "defects."
http://www.geekculture.com/joyoftech/joyimages/1713.jpg
http://www.geekculture.com/joyoftech/joyimages/1685.jpg
http://www.geekculture.com/joyoftech/joyimages/1704.gif
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http://www.geekculture.com/joyoftech/joyimages/1713.jpg
http://www.geekculture.com/joyoftech/joyimages/1685.jpg
http://www.geekculture.com/joyoftech/joyimages/1704.gif
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post #8 of 45
8/18/10 at 4:46pm
So we have to conclude that that many actual sales (not just search engine queries) are hard on servers giving AT&T a reprive for its server issues with the transaction and verification, or that both AT&T and KT are shitty carriers.


Quote:
Originally Posted by jarvijarv View Post

...it would be a hit there. South Koreans are a very sophisticated, gregarious, tech-savvy society. I should know, I was stationed in Korea for a year. One only needs to step down at their award winning, ultra-modern Incheon International Airport near Seoul to know what I'm talking about.

It's funny, they are so tech savvy that it was stated over and over that the iPhone couldn't possibly sell well in S. Korea. That abruptly stopped last Autumn. Before that, the same was said about Japan and the iPhone.
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post #9 of 45
8/18/10 at 4:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by A Grain of Salt View Post

As a final point the iPhone pre-orders in Korea were higher per-capita than in the US. Apple would do well to make Korea one of its first tier countries.

They sold 1M 3GS iPhones in 5 months last year. The 5th largest mover.
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post #10 of 45
8/18/10 at 4:54pm
... Consumer Reports still cannot recommend the iPhone 4 ...

/s

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post #11 of 45
8/18/10 at 4:57pm
Another example of a Government not knowing what the people want...bastards!
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post #12 of 45
8/18/10 at 5:06pm
Starcraft + iPhone 4 = happy south Korea
Tech Apocalypse - Battle for the Sky.
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post #13 of 45
8/18/10 at 5:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Xian Zhu Xuande View Post

Only 130K!?
Apple is Doomed!

Of course!

Don't you remember the people saying the iPhone would fail in South Korea unless it was CDMA?
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post #14 of 45
8/18/10 at 5:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by OriginalMacRat View Post

Of course!

Don't you remember the people saying the iPhone would fail in South Korea unless it was CDMA?

Maybe they meant NKorea
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無心 The idea of wilderness needs no defense, it only needs defenders., Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit__Edward Abbey
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post #15 of 45
8/18/10 at 5:14pm
Apple really needs to ramp up production, most of my day is spent fielding iPhone 4 enquiries with "No we don't have them, 4-6 weeks", the good thing is that it's the same with all our competitors on the other networks in Australia.

I also hand my iPhone 4 over and ask people to make the bars drop, which they can't seem to do.

Upgrading from a 3G is an awesome experience and was well worth it, a rediscovery of just how good these things are, a worldwide phenomenon apparently.

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post #16 of 45
8/18/10 at 5:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by techapocalypse View Post

Starcraft + iPhone 4 = happy south Korea

I've noticed. My Korean friends are reporting the same.
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post #17 of 45
8/18/10 at 5:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by A Grain of Salt View Post

Actually, I find Incheon Airport to be very cold and impersonal; but that's an aside. I agree with your first point that Koreans are very tech-savvy. What makes the number of pre-orders more incredible though is that Apple is competing against SK (Korea's largest telecom provider) and Samsung (One of Korea's largest and most respected companies) with the Samsung Galaxy S. SK have been flogging the Galaxy S with deals that include bringing your old iPhone in for a rebate on the Galaxy S. Apple is also competing against the Korean mindset that says if it's not made in Korea it's not good; though that mindset is now changing.

As a final point the iPhone pre-orders in Korea were higher per-capita than in the US. Apple would do well to make Korea one of its first tier countries.

I'm a Korean-American and visit there on a regular basis. The airport is great in that it's super clean and ultra modern, but I do think it's just too damn big and impersonal.

Although there's a bit of nationalist streak in Koreans, the "upscale" types really love "luxury" brand imports of all types and Apple's stuff is definitely considered as such over there.

I also travel a lot on business to other parts of Asia (mainly China) and Europe and they all consider Apple a very upscale and expensive brand - kind of like Rolex, Louis Vuitton, Giorgio Armani, Mercedes, Bang & Olufsen, etc. I'd say way more so than here in the States.
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post #18 of 45
8/18/10 at 5:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by SpamSandwich View Post

Spell check, Katie. Spell check!

Kora is a word (it's an african lute) and wouldn't have been flagged as suspect.
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post #19 of 45
8/18/10 at 5:42pm
Probably just another rounding error.
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post #20 of 45
8/18/10 at 5:47pm
Nevermind the fact that you cannot get one for love or money in most of the countries Apple has already launched in. I decided to wait for at least the 5 here in Canada based on my current contract.
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post #21 of 45
8/18/10 at 5:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by sflocal View Post

Not too bad for a "flawed" phone with a "defective design".

Always love to hear news that throws mud in the faces of trolls and critics.

I enjoy using my iP4 every single day.

I do not have any issues with my Phone 4 either. What Steve said "don't hold it like that", works out ok. I do notice at times when I'm not paying attention a web page downloads slowly. Then I remember to avoid holding it that way. Not a big deal. iPhone is by far the best phone out there despite any minor shortcomings.

I try to always buy the best I can afford of everything and even the top of the line products sometimes have little issues. My Mac is not perfect, my iPhone is not perfect, my Nikon is not perfect, my BMW is not perfect, my Sony isn't perfect but in all cases it was the best choice. So yes, I'm happy with my iPhone 4. I'm even happy with my iPad, although I haven't really used it very much yet. Still trying to figure out how to work it into my routine.

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post #22 of 45
8/18/10 at 6:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dlcmh View Post

... Consumer Reports still cannot recommend the iPhone 4 ...

/s

Has CR even rated the new Droid phone? With the supposedly worse reception issues being discussed in all the forums I'd expect CR to give an even worse rating.
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post #23 of 45
8/18/10 at 6:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by A Grain of Salt View Post

As a final point the iPhone pre-orders in Korea were higher per-capita than in the US. Apple would do well to make Korea one of its first tier countries.

I'm pretty sure that LG Telecom would bend over backwards to get their hands on a CDMA iPhone.

Quote:
Originally Posted by solipsism View Post

It's funny, they are so tech savvy that it was stated over and over that the iPhone couldn't possibly sell well in S. Korea. That abruptly stopped last Autumn. Before that, the same was said about Japan and the iPhone.

What about in China, Thailand, and Indonesia, which also have extensive CDMA/EVDO networks?

In any case, what you said is another reason to bring a CDMA iPhone to KDDI in Japan. It would further establish the iPhone brand there, establish competition amongst carriers there, and relieve some strain on SoftBank's network. TMobile can provide American competition, if there aren't enough CDMA iPhones left over after China, Japan, Korea, etc. get them.
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post #24 of 45
8/18/10 at 6:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mstone View Post

I'm even happy with my iPad, although I haven't really used it very much yet. Still trying to figure out how to work it into my routine.

Funny that you say that. I wasn't really impressed by the iPad, but my wife really wanted one. Now that I find in lying around, I use it quite a lot. Case in point, I had a couple minutes just now, so I grabbed it and started looking at websites and ended up posting. I guess what I am saying is: leave it around your living room or wherever you hang out during your free time and you'll probably start to use it more. At least, that is what I have found.
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post #25 of 45
8/18/10 at 6:31pm
News like this won't hurt the iPhone's popularity there either:
http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2010/06/...e-and-iphones/

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post #26 of 45
8/18/10 at 7:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Xian Zhu Xuande View Post

Only 130K!?
Apple is Doomed!

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post #27 of 45
8/18/10 at 7:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dlcmh View Post

News like this won't hurt the iPhone's popularity there either:
http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2010/06/...e-and-iphones/

That is quite remarkable. She is amazingly talented.
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post #28 of 45
8/18/10 at 7:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by sflocal View Post

Not too bad for a "flawed" phone with a "defective design".

Always love to hear news that throws mud in the faces of trolls and critics.

I enjoy using my iP4 every single day.

Hahaha. Those jackass Antennagate FUDster iHaters must be stewing in their own gravy with the iPhone 4 still flying off the shelves. They were so intent on simultaneously disrupting iPhone 4 sales, tarnishing Apple's reputation and trying to make Steve Jobs look like a fool . Yet, what did it get them? Absolutely nothing. It's like nobody in the real consumer world even cared about the "death grip". Those iHater cockroaches were pissing into a gale force wind and ended up being drenched in their own urine. Those iHaters have a lot to learn about Apple marketing and customer loyalty. I'd sure like to know exactly the party that was behind Antennagate. Was it Gizmodo with help from Google founders? Or maybe only ignorant Android fanboi bloggers? Despite all that Antennagate FUD, the iPhone 4 continues to be in ultra-high demand all over the globe. Suck on that, you iHaters. That was your last chance before the iPhone takes over Verizon by force.

I hope that those S. Korean pre-orders will be enough to offset the lead that the Samsung Galaxy S has taken. 800,000 of those Galaxy Ses have been sold so far in a month or so. I can understand that the S. Koreans are being loyal to the home team, but I think the iPhone 4 can catch up within six months. The Galaxy S is no slouch, though.
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post #29 of 45
8/18/10 at 7:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dlcmh View Post

News like this won't hurt the iPhone's popularity there either:
http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2010/06/...e-and-iphones/

Man, that's pretty cool. And she's pretty cute.
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post #30 of 45
8/18/10 at 8:07pm
Not to over-generalize, but I have found that Koreans have an appreciation for the better things in life, especially when it comes to tech. It's cool to see them embracing this amazing product, which I was only able to get my hands on last week... but what an extraordinary week it's been. I absolutely love the iPhone 4... I was like "what the hell was I waiting for..v[coming from a 3g]"
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post #31 of 45
8/18/10 at 8:11pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by enzos View Post

Kora is a word (it's an african lute) and wouldn't have been flagged as suspect.

If she's using a Mac it would have been flagged. I just checked.

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post #32 of 45
8/18/10 at 9:28pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mikemikeb View Post

What about in China, Thailand, and Indonesia, which also have extensive CDMA/EVDO networks?

In any case, what you said is another reason to bring a CDMA iPhone to KDDI in Japan. It would further establish the iPhone brand there, establish competition amongst carriers there, and relieve some strain on SoftBank's network. TMobile can provide American competition, if there aren't enough CDMA iPhones left over after China, Japan, Korea, etc. get them.

1) Im not exactly sure how you took my comment and turned it into a CDMA conversation.

2) Im not sure how extensive Chinas CDMA network is, but they only have 65M CDMA subs and 700M GSM subs.

3) As for CDMA in Japan that is pretty pointless to talk about the future of technology and then reference this aging 2G technology. Itllbe around for awhile but its not going to be the focus of any new tech.

4) An iPhone seems to be on the ready to serve a large CDMA/CDMA2000 customer(s), but that is 2G and 3G of that technology. That has nothing to do with S. Korea with their two largest carriers having CDMA for 2G and UMTS/W-CDMA for 3G, with LG picking up with 12M(?) subs. I dont see Apple making a CDMA/UMTS iPhone just to suit a few small countries that were smart enough to jump ship to 3GPP for 3G after start with CDMA.
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post #33 of 45
8/18/10 at 9:39pm
South Korea has great potential for IPHONE4 sales. People have been waiting and the excitement has been building. South Koreas population is around 50 million of which 25 million are possible canadates for an IPHONE
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post #34 of 45
8/18/10 at 9:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by BUSHMAN4 View Post

South Korea has great potential for IPHONE4 sales. People have been waiting and the excitement has been building. South Koreas population is around 50 million of which 25 million are possible canadates for an IPHONE

I would imagine that its up there as one of the highest percentage of smartphone users.
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post #35 of 45
8/18/10 at 10:39pm
Yup you would think that the home base of Samsung and LG would be more resistant to the invasion of the insanely popular iPhone4.

I played with a Samsung Galaxy S, they're flogging it heavily around Asia, Android and Swype and all that. Guess some people still want them Apples...!

BTW APPLE STORE IS DOWN
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post #36 of 45
8/18/10 at 11:31pm
I would like to see some trolls here. Are they still asleep?
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post #37 of 45
8/18/10 at 11:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dlcmh View Post

... Consumer Reports still cannot recommend the iPhone 4 ...

/s

You know, they are not such a tech savvy organisation.
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post #38 of 45
8/18/10 at 11:42pm
not bad for a country who tries its hardest to keep out outsiders when it comes to selling in their country....
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post #39 of 45
8/19/10 at 4:44am
Quote:
Originally Posted by SpamSandwich View Post

Spell check, Katie. Spell check!

It is worse than just a spelling mistake if it is one.

My take it is a typo as some describe a 'typo' comes from clumsiness, whereas, a 'spelling error' comes from ignorance

A good editor would have caught it by having the article proof-read as well as checked for spelling.

Equally important the content would have been scrutinized for content accuracy. If all three actions were carried out, the mistake would have been corrected and as the statement should have read, "The iPhone 4 is set to launch in South Korea sometime in September."
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post #40 of 45
8/19/10 at 4:49am
Quote:
Originally Posted by sincere View Post

not bad for a country who tries its hardest to keep out outsiders when it comes to selling in their country....

you'd never know that seeing how so much of "outside" products are popular there.
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