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3G iPhone release 'imminent' |
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Speculation is mounting over an impending release of a new iPhone supporting 3G networks, suggesting the much-ballyhooed device could reach Australia as early as the middle of this year.
With local mobile carriers rushing to convert their subscribers from 2G to faster broadband-like 3G services, the lack of a 3G-enabled model is viewed by analysts as the key impediment to releasing the device locally.
Analyst firm IDC said Australians wanted more than a large screen and great web browser and the appeal of an iPhone without 3G connectivity would be limited to die-hard Apple fans and the fashion conscious.
"It would appear highly unlikely that a 2G iPhone [would] be released in Australia, with Telstra focusing all efforts to migrate subscribers onto Next G and Optus and Vodafone both building national 3G networks this year. The 2G market in Australia is shrinking fast," IDC telecommunications analyst Mark Novosel said.
"In 2009 the number of 3G subscribers in Australia will outstrip 2G subscribers. By the end of 2009 56.6 per cent of all mobile subscribers in Australia will be on one of four 3G networks."
Apple has said the iPhone will be launched in Australia this year, but has yet to pin down an exact date.
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