iPhone 3G? No thanks
The Apple 3G finally landed in South African stores at midnight last night. No doubt there are some tired but happy iPhone owners showing off their new phones at work this morning. They are also probably a lot poorer than they were yesterday.
Which is just one of many reasons not to rush out and buy an iPhone this morning.
When the original iPhone was launched it was a marvel. The interface, the styling. It was classic Apple stuff and it made you just want one no matter what the cost. At the time nothing could compete for sheer tech-cred.
Fast forward many months and the iPhone 3G arrives in South African stores and it just doesn’t hold the appeal it did when it was first launched.
For a start there is that price tag. From R1 799 for the 8GB model and a monthly contract charge starting at R450 or up to R3 299 for the 16GB model makes the iPhone an expensive option.
Then there is that data cap. A 250MB data cap is barely enough to check email regularly let alone watch YouTube videos or video podcasts. Expect a hefty over-usage bill at the end of the month.
The other reason the iPhone doesn’t look all that appealing is that the market has changed. When it was first launched the iPhone was an outstanding product in a market of lesser rivals. No more. There are more than a handful of other phones on the market now that are every bit as good as the iPhone.
My personal favourite is the Nokia E71. A proper QWERTY keyboard is always better than a touch screen interface. And the Nokia E71 does everything the iPhone can do, include being tethered to my computer as a modem.
Sure, the E71 lacks the impressive touchscreen and the geek-cred that goes with most Apple products but I didn’t have to pay anything extra to upgrade to the E71 on an MTN Procall 120 contract. And I still have a couple hundred rand left over for data before I even make a dent in what an iPhone would cost me.
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