After months of anguished waiting, the Apple fanboys finally got what they had wished for: the iPhone 3G was (eventually) launched by Vodacom last week. At least we don’t live in Botswana, Croatia, Jamaica or other pioneering markets, such as Nicaragua and Madagascar who are still waiting.<\/p>\n
Some, like editor of gadget magazine Stuff, Toby Shapshak are calling it the “Jesus phone”. Others are quite plainly saying “no thanks”.<\/p>\n
Vodacom says it’s brought 30 000 iPhone’s into the country, but sources say that number is closer to 40 000. It remains to be seen whether this batch will be sold out as has happened in iPhone launches elsewhere.<\/p>\n
With pricing finally revealed, the obvious worry is the data limit. Subscribers on Vodacom’s new iPhone 120s\/240\/500s contracts only receive 250MB of bundled data – not all that much…<\/p>\n
If you’re a massive data user (and on the iPhone, chances are you will be) this limit won’t be that great an incentive. Browsing the web on the iPhone is seamless thanks to a stripped down version of Apple’s Safari browser, so you browse the web, not a horribly formatted, bare translation of webpages.<\/p>\n
Another consideration is the steep price. Sure, it’s an Apple. But paying around R7 000 cash for a phone?!<\/p>\n
The contracts do make it more affordable, but then again the thought of paying at least R500 a month surely hasn’t got tens of thousands of South Africans rushing out to buy one?<\/p>\n
The “offers” as Vodacom terms them, are quite complex: you can choose between buying the iPhone cash (R6 389 for the 8GB model, R7 569 for the 16GB), and various contract or financed offers (yes, the two are different).<\/p>\n
The contract offers mean you pay in a cash portion when buying the phone (anywhere from R1 799 to R3 299, depending on the contract and the device). The monthly subscription ranges from R450 (iPhone 120s) to R925 (iPhone 500s). The financed offer, on the other hand, divides the cost of the handset over the contract term and you (in essence) pay it off over 24 months. About R100 (or about R150 for the 16GB model) is added to the monthly subscription fee which is standard on the contract offers.<\/p>\n
If, however, you’re a high-end user (500+ minutes a month) then upgrading to an iPhone does actually make sense. A standard Vodacom Talk 500 contract costs R800 per month, so a jump to around R925 is not really an issue; plus you get a great device.<\/p>\n
Should you have waited? If you wanted an iPhone, you’ve probably already got one.<\/p>\n
But, if you’re still looking for a device, there are options that won’t necessarily burn a hole in your pocket.<\/p>\n
There are a number of Blackberry devices (Curve and Pearl; Bold launches soon) which are market-leaders in offering e-mail functionality. BlackBerry pioneered push e-mail, and if you’re in the market for a “business” phone, then you should seriously consider one of these.<\/p>\n
If you’re looking for something “cooler” and the touch-screen idea (like the iPhone appeals to you), play around with a Samsung Omnia (i-900). The Omnia runs Windows Mobile (probably the main drawback), but has 8GB of onboard memory, an 8GB microSD card (total memory of 16GB), built-in GPS, a music\/video player, WiFi, and 7.2 Mbps HSDPA. MTN currently has a Samsung Omnia on offer for R500 per month, for example. This includes R500 worth of airtime on the network’s new AnyTime contract structure, and 50 free SMSs. You can’t help but ask yourself, is the iPhone worth twice as much as a device like this?<\/p>\n
If you’re still not convinced that any of the devices currently on the market are what you’re looking for, wait till 2009. BlackBerry’s busy developing its iPhone competitor, the Storm (pictured alongside). It’s rumoured this device will feature a massive touchscreen (like the iPhone), GPS, full html browsing, a 3.2 megapixel camera, and the usual BlackBerry features (instant messaging, push e-mail, etc).<\/p>\n
Now, that’s a device worth waiting for…<\/p>\n