Sunday, May 31, 2009

Counting down (8 days left) to WWDC '09: the drop of Indonesia's iPhone 3G price to almost $100 hints at upcoming new model

It hurts so much when it hits the right spot, and that is your pocket. I don't even want to ask my friends who have bought the iPhone 3G when it was first released here, in Indonesia just less than two months ago.

Telkomsel, one of the largest wireless carriers in Indonesia and the only one who offers iPhone, is using its 14th-year of anniversary as an excuse to cut the price in an amount of one million rupiah. The 8GB model is now offered at Rp. 2,999,000 (US$287), and the 16GB model at Rp. 3,999,000 (US$383). --according to the currency at the time I write this post--

We've been hearing plenty of rumors surrounding the upcoming new iPhone model at WWDC '09 which is slated on June 8th, there are also many signs that suggest both Apple and every wireless carriers who have the exclusivity to offer iPhone are trying to get rid the last stocks of the current model to make room for the new one. But Telkomsel's latest move by cutting the price of iPhone 3G price to almost $100, is can be said as an obvious effort to attract consumers to get the Apple's smartphone right now before the new model introduced in just a week later.

Although iPhone has been a huge success in the U.S. and many other countries, Aulia Masna from Macworld was reporting that: "When Telkomsel announced iPhone 3G pre-order in January, roughly 39,000 people registered interest within the first month, but less than 6,000 actually purchased the iPhone when it was finally made available in late March."

I wonder if I'm going to see the new iPhone as soon as Apple announced it at WWDC '09 on June 8th *sighs* It's really painful to live outside the U.S. especially for a mobile-geek like me, all I can do is hope that Apple will pressure Telkomsel to stop offering the old model and start selling the new one immediately. Heh, I wish... ;-p

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