OnePlus One - $300 killer Android phone

[faniebraai]

Of course we will have them, just not through the likes of Vodascum and eMTN, most likely we will be able to get it through orange.co.za first, then maybe places like kalahari and takealot.
This will be a cash ONLY phone in SA.

ja okay, imports don't count

they launched the phone with a big hooha but it's not even ready to go yet. LG's G3 will probably be available here before this is. Also with 3GB ram. The more I read, the less I'm impressed.

 

[CranialBlaze]

ja okay, imports don't count

they launched the phone with a big hooha but it's not even ready to go yet. LG's G3 will probably be available here before this is. Also with 3GB ram. The more I read, the less I'm impressed.

How do you expect them to get here, what you want OnePlus to open a local factory? Everything is imported, no matter who sells it, including Vodascum and eMTN.
I do assume you referring to private imports, neither of which is done through the sites I listed, those are all local legitimate online stores who will likely have them widely and readily available once the invite system has been lifted, unless of course OnePlus has no intention of securing retail partners and keep all sales in-house, then private imports would be a requirement, but I cannot image a business making such a terrible decision.

 

[faniebraai]

How do you expect them to get here, what you want OnePlus to open a local factory? Everything is imported, no matter who sells it, including Vodascum and eMTN.
I do assume you referring to private imports, neither of which is done through the sites I listed, those are all local legitimate online stores who will likely have them widely and readily available once the invite system has been lifted, unless of course OnePlus has no intention of securing retail partners and keep all sales in-house, then private imports would be a requirement, but I cannot image a business making such a terrible decision.

whoa there buddy. easy easy.

If you assumed I was talking about "not through a MNO" when I said "import" you would have been correct. Better luck next time though.

I'll be surprised if shops like Orange, or any other, can delivery the OnePlus One in the first 3 months after first retail launch in the US.

 

[CranialBlaze]

whoa there buddy. easy easy.

If you assumed I was talking about "not through a MNO" when I said "import" you would have been correct. Better luck next time though.

I'll be surprised if shops like Orange, or any other, can delivery the OnePlus One in the first 3 months after first retail launch in the US.

No retail launch dated yet though, the official launch is May/June, but invite only and only via the OnePlus site. As Orange is an international company, there is no reason they cannot offer it to us within days of the retail launch, perhaps with an initial pre-order option while they ship the stock down.

 

[Raphael123]

It's running CyanogenMod, its rooted out the box.

"This thing will never see the light of day in South Africa."

Our greedy/evil Mobile operators will never sell this handset true enough.

Another win for Android & the CyanogenMod team.

 

[faniebraai]

No retail launch dated yet though, the official launch is May/June, but invite only and only via the OnePlus site. As Orange is an international company, there is no reason they cannot offer it to us within days of the retail launch, perhaps with an initial pre-order option while they ship the stock down.

that's why i said deliver and not pre-order.

 

[CranialBlaze]

that's why i said deliver and not pre-order.

Of course they can, you know how quickly you can ship stock down to SA, remember, these companies get there stock ahead of the actual retail launches, you cannot very well have a retail launch date when no retailers have stock. Often for things like this the retailers have stock as far as a month ahead of the launch, factories start shipping out this early in case of any unexpected delays. Its completely plausible that a company like orange could have stock within our borders ready on launch day. Weather or not they do it would depend on percieved interest, hence a pre-order which will run pre-launch date.

Hell dude, if done from within UK, a box the size of a phone can be couriered with DHL to your door within 5 days for 6GBP, roughly R100, they would not even need to keep local stock to have order ship on or even before launch date provided delivery is not made before launch date.

 

[cerebus]

I'm quite happy to buy the phone if Orange can stock it. The 32gb Nexus5 is R5300 at Orange. It's $400 in the US, so a ~R1300 markup. I'd expect it to come in around the R4500 price point.

 

[faniebraai]

Of course they can, you know how quickly you can ship stock down to SA, remember, these companies get there stock ahead of the actual retail launches, you cannot very well have a retail launch date when no retailers have stock. Often for things like this the retailers have stock as far as a month ahead of the launch, factories start shipping out this early in case of any unexpected delays. Its completely plausible that a company like orange could have stock within our borders ready on launch day. Weather or not they do it would depend on percieved interest, hence a pre-order which will run pre-launch date.

Hell dude, if done from within UK, a box the size of a phone can be couriered with DHL to your door within 5 days for 6GBP, roughly R100, they would not even need to keep local stock to have order ship on or even before launch date provided delivery is not made before launch date.

you are missing my point. like i said. i don't think we (orange and the likes) will have access to stock on launch date. this is a new phone and its first launch. they don't have the reach that samsung has to have stock available in 200 countries on launch day.

 

[faniebraai]

I'm quite happy to buy the phone if Orange can stock it. The 32gb Nexus5 is R5300 at Orange. It's $400 in the US, so a ~R1300 markup. I'd expect it to come in around the R4500 price point.

what phone do you have now?

 

[CranialBlaze]

I'm quite happy to buy the phone if Orange can stock it. The 32gb Nexus5 is R5300 at Orange. It's $400 in the US, so a ~R1300 markup. I'd expect it to come in around the R4500 price point.

Do not forget that a portion of that markup would of been import taxes.

 

[cerebus]

what phone do you have now?

A 4S. But I'm due to upgrade in August so thinking of rather getting this.

 

[faniebraai]

Do not forget that a portion of that markup would of been import taxes.

But i'm not allowed to say import?

 

[CranialBlaze]

you are missing my point. like i said. i don't think we (orange and the likes) will have access to stock on launch date. this is a new phone and its first launch. they don't have the reach that samsung has to have stock available in 200 countries on launch day.

Not really up to them, if their current method of marketing proves successful, companies will be interested and reach or no reach, they will have the finances to provide these retailers with the stock they want. If nobody wants it, then that's another story, but with viral and social marketing they would not need to approach companies to try and gain reach, companies will approach them as they would see an additional source of income for them as well as offers to their clients, bigger companies like Orange and Vodafone would even attempt exclusivity agreements for a device like this if its popular.

 

[faniebraai]

A 4S. But I'm due to upgrade in August so thinking of rather getting this.

an iphone? and you think of jumping apple ship for that HUGE phone?

 

[CranialBlaze]

A 4S. But I'm due to upgrade in August so thinking of rather getting this.

You may have trouble getting it that early, with a June launch that's invite only you would have to get your hands on one of these invites and then setup a US re-post service to get it here.
If they so keen on the invite only thing you can expect that marketing method to go on for at least 2-3 months.

 

[faniebraai]

Not really up to them, if their current method of marketing proves successful, companies will be interested and reach or no reach, they will have the finances to provide these retailers with the stock they want. If nobody wants it, then that's another story, but with viral and social marketing they would not need to approach companies to try and gain reach, companies will approach them as they would see an additional source of income for them as well as offers to their clients, bigger companies like Orange and Vodafone would even attempt exclusivity agreements for a device like this if its popular.

i think your hopes are a bit too high. but hey, neither of us knows how it will actually happen. so now we play wait and see i guess.

 

[CranialBlaze]

i think your hopes are a bit too high. but hey, neither of us knows how it will actually happen. so now we play wait and see i guess.

That invite system I suspect will come back to bite them in the rear, it may help them control shipments and initial availability, but people these days are too damn lazy to actually have to enter competitions and raffles or whatever else they have planned just to get an invite code that's only valid for 24 hours in order to spend $350 on a phone.

I certainty would not bother, I really want this phone, but at the exact same time I can walk into Vodacom or CellC and pick up a P7 which is reasonably close in spec, however higher in price and flash OmniRom myself and be done with it, 0 hassle for a brilliant phone as apposed to loads of hassle for a slightly better phone. I would be happy to order it online, and even import it myself, but not jumping through hoops to pay someone, why must me giving you money for something you are selling involve effort?

 

[faniebraai]

That invite system I suspect will come back to bite them in the rear, it may help them control shipments and initial availability, but people these days are too damn lazy to actually have to enter competitions and raffles or whatever else they have planned just to get an invite code that's only valid for 24 hours in order to spend $350 on a phone.

I certainty would not bother, I really want this phone, but at the exact same time I can walk into Vodacom or CellC and pick up a P7 which is reasonably close in spec, however higher in price and flash OmniRom myself and be done with it, 0 hassle for a brilliant phone as apposed to loads of hassle for a slightly better phone. I would be happy to order it online, and even import it myself, but not jumping through hoops to pay someone, why must me giving you money for something you are selling involve effort?

maybe they can't produce these phones quick enough, so they play the 'exclusivity' card, until they get the production issues sorted.

 

[CranialBlaze]

maybe they can't produce these phones quick enough, so they play the 'exclusivity' card, until they get the production issues sorted.

Apparently they are manufacturing like mad and have stopped production on the 16GB in favour of the 64Gb and will only launch with that one.
Still think the exclusivity thing is not something you want to try with a phone, especially if it has equal competition readily available, its specs are comparable to whats coming out within the next 3-6 months from almost everyone anyway.

Having a custom rom and pre-rooted automatically cuts your market share to the more tech-savvy android users, the AVG joe on the street has no idea who Cyanogen are and why its "better", top that off with those of us who love our root, care very little for the re-sellers threats of voiding warranty, I root a phone the instant I pull it out of the box, if the manufacturer voids the warranty I pay them R160 for an BER deceleration and get a new one from insurance.