iPhone to launch in South Korea at end of November

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  • Reply 21 of 27
    samabsamab Posts: 1,953member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    I'm amused when people don't read throughly. I wrote CMDA-based. That only applies to LG who has CDMA/CMDA2000/EVDO. The other two, larger carriers use CMDA for 2G but WCDMA-based network for 3G. This means only two of the 3 can use the iPhone as is.



    I the stated that their phones are "advanced" like in Japan which you stated wa wrong despite agreeing with me. The rest is my initial speculation about sales but since their is no viable grey market due to do IMEI restrictions that has been revised.



    Except that the Korean government classifies ev-do as 2G and the dead ev-dv as 3G. It's just a label.



    The fact is that the majority of Koreans are still using CDMA/EV-DO phones.
  • Reply 22 of 27
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by samab View Post


    I said that Japanese and Korean phones are both saddled with a lot of useless technology that made zero business sense. Their governments pushed a tech agenda saying that we want to push mobile tv on cell phones --- doesn't mean that there is a viable business model for it.



    I'm glad to know we agree on something.
  • Reply 23 of 27
    Okay, I am a Korean currently living in the Seoul metro area. I used the first iPhone during my stay in NYS. It seems that the posts here are somewhat incorrect, so let me have the pleasure to clarify.



    1. There is a lot of interest in iPhone

    There are 700k iPod users here in Korea, and KT expects many of them to switch to using the newly announced iPhone. The negotiation between KT and Apple has been going for a very long time, like 1.5+ years. It was only last Friday that Apple gave the go from its Palo Alto office, and KT went into gear and had its website open for orders. Currently, there seems to be more than 20,000~30,000 pre-orders starting from yesterday via KT's Phonestore site. KT expects at max sales to reach half a mil, or at around 100k units. I think it will reach 200k~300k on average before the new iPhone gets released mid 2010.



    2. Korean Domestic Phones s@ck

    Before I returned to the States for graduate degree, the phones here in Korea were pretty top notch stuff. DMB is a good technological example. Alas, with the iPhone and advancement of smartphones, Korean telcos as well as Samsung/LG etc failed to catch up. Everyone (besides KT) wanted status quo, as they were all making much money. Korean users got frustrated at half baked attempts at smart phones, and yeah, stupid Korean regulators want just about anything with foreign made stuffs they meddled in this and that.



    When the Korean version of FCC wanted to check out Location Based Service of the iPhone a few months ago, it seemed like a huge blocking attempt on the side of Korean telcos (of course, besides KT) and handset makers.

    They wanted Apple to maintain a server so that information gathered from iPhone users will not head out of the country. Then Korean customers revolted: you should have seen how tenacious the net users were tracking down the meeting schedule and all regarding the K-FCC review. It seems that this social pressure put K-FCC on alert, and they decided to let Apple do its thing. BTW, K-FCC did say that someone/somebody notified them that Apple was going against the law by servicing LBS based services here in Korea (e.g. Find My iPhone) WITHOUT consulting the K-FCC (guess who would tell a lazy regulation body about such technical problems?).



    In any case, with pressure from the public and the media, iPhone has finally been announced for launch starting this Sat (11/28). Thank goodness. And yes, Korean telcos (KT graciously excluded) S@@K and LG, Samsung SHOULD be ashamed of themselves.



    3. Last, Grey iPhone Market DID EXIST

    With the recent official announcement, the grey iPhone market would now result in a complete collapse. However, a grey market did exist. With iPhone getting Korean telecommunications approval a few months ago, anyone with an unlocked iPhone could sign up for services from either SKT or KT. Many people (I am guessing a few hundred) with more than a thousand USD to burn bought unlocked iPhones from Hong Kong and Australia etc. I knew that this day would come and held out. Thank goodness for that.



    4. Give Us More

    So, there you have it. Now you can buy an iPhone here in Korea. I would like to see more foreign makes, especially Motorola's Droid and HTC's huge screen Android devices etc. Let them eat Sammy's sandwich, which I don't care. Sammy, SKT and LG all had their day. It is time for consumers to get their day.
  • Reply 24 of 27
    nceencee Posts: 857member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by teckstud View Post


    I wonder if Al Gore negotiated this deal. He and Laura Ling.



    Him and Ling, Ling, or is it Ding, Ding.
  • Reply 25 of 27
    This iPhone was released today in S. Korea. I went to the store excited to get one. I was turned away. Why? I'm an expat. They told me, "내국인만, 외국인 안돼요." (Translation: Koreans only. Foreigners cannot [purchase one].)
  • Reply 26 of 27
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by sweaver View Post


    This iPhone was released today in S. Korea. I went to the store excited to get one. I was turned away. Why? I'm an expat. They told me, "내국인만, 외국인 안돼요." (Translation: Koreans only. Foreigners cannot [purchase one].)



    Did you post this on the MacRumors site yesterday? If not, someone stated that yet there are others there saying that as long as you are willing to pay the deposit you are good to go.



    The turn out looks to be quite good. Considering the number of smartphone users it seems much better than both Japan and China?s turn out.
  • Reply 27 of 27
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    Did you post this on the MacRumors site yesterday? If not, someone stated that yet there are others there saying that as long as you are willing to pay the deposit you are good to go.



    Nope, twas not I. There are a number of expats complaining already. I looked through the comments over at MacRumors. They're not discussing the purchase of a new phone with service. Rather, they are talking about using existing service with an "approved" iPhone previously purchased.



    KT Telecom is known for being unfriendly towards foreigners. Their policies set limits on the plans foreigners can select from (i.e., below a certain threshold of monthly payments), and the iPhone plans are above this threshold. Of course, not all foreigners are created equal in the eyes of KT Telecom. Hence, permanent residents have a higher threshold than others. The shopkeepers seem unaware of this though. They simply lump all foreigners together and refuse them service. (I had to visit 6 different shops before someone would sell me a pre-paid phone. Then, after the time ran out, they refused to refill it. I really wish the Korean government would punch the telecoms here in the nuts.)



    Who knows, maybe I'll get lucky and find a shop willing to skirt the rules and sell me one anyway.
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