Steve Jobs’ baby is set to make another conquest. South Korea is one of the two most advanced countries in the world when it comes to mobility and connectivity. Will the iPhone make an impact there? The iPhone will be distributed by KT, though SK Telecoms will be following suit. SK serves 50% of Korean mobile users.
“There are some pessimistic views over the marketability and profitability of the devices. Except for some ‘Apple maniacs,’ chances are low that the handsets will penetrate into the minds of general customers,” an official at SK Telecom said, Monday.
LG and Samsung have smartphones that are technologically competitive with the iPhone and selling at significantly lower prices. The Korean iPhone at KT will be priced between 750,000 won (about $642) and 850,000 won (about $727). The Telecoms regulator in the country has given the go signal for the iPhone. The iPhone has also been exempt to use its own mapping software. Korean law states that mobiles should use local software and technology for GPS and maps.
[sources: reuters, koreatimes]
November 19th, 2009 at 2:24 am
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November 21st, 2009 at 3:30 pm
[...] Korea. They still haven’t announced their official pricing for it, but analysts predicts that the Korea iPhone should be priced somewhere in the 350,000 to 400,000 KRW ($300 to $345) range bundled with a [...]