As the iPhone 3G hits stores this week, Apple is aiming to gain more users by offering it at reduced prices through carriers.
Apple has slashed the iPhone's price nearly in half, possibly attracting new buyers who balked at paying US$499 for the original 16G-byte iPhone. The new model will work on faster 3G (third-generation) broadband wireless networks for quicker downloads and come with GPS (Global Positioning System) capabilities.
In the U.S., AT&T will start selling the iPhone 3G on Friday, starting at $199 for the 8G-byte model and $299 for the 16G-byte model, each with a two-year contract. In the U.K., O2 will offer iPhone 3G for free with some contracts. The device will also bow Friday in 20 other countries including Germany, Japan and Australia; Apple hopes to sell it in 70 countries by year-end, including India, the Philippines, South Africa and Egypt.
The new phone has some shortcomings, such as the lack of a video camera, but the new features and low price points should attract buyers now that the iPhone is tried and tested, said Fareena Sultan, associate professor at Northeastern University's College of Business Administration.
"The issue is not about the box, it's about the service," Sultan said. The carriers are assisting Apple in subsidizing the phones and ultimately hope to make money through higher-priced contracts and additional services, Sultan said.
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