After yesterday’s Apple Conference where Steve Jobs announced a new iPhone with 3G and GPS capabilities, South African’s will be overjoyed that they too will be able to get their hands on it very soon!
Vodafone have been given the rights to distribute the iPhone to a number of countries worldwide and with its partnership with Vodacom, means the iPhone is coming to SA on the 20th of July.
The worldwide price of an 8GB 3G iPhone will cost $199 (R1500) but we will have to find out how they will be bundled with some of Vodacom contracts to see what the final cost of the iPhone will cost in South Africa.
The other exciting announcement from the WWDC is the release of the App Store – which means you will be able to download iPhone specific applications that use the iPhone’s native operating system. So expect a MXit client for your 3G iPhone soon! 
Oh I can’t wait!!!!!!!!!!!.It sounds so nice .I wonder how much it will costs in Sa???.
Strange… how is the app store going to work in south africa when you need an itunes account for you to use it (currently not available).
The only way I see it is for Apple to offer itunes in all the countries it’s offering the iphone.
I cant wait!!!
Apart from the iTunes issue, I don’t see the GPS navigation functionality being all that it’s cracked up to be. Especially not for South African users.
http://thegpstimes.com/2008/07/10/3g-iphone-gps-navigation-in-south-africa-gimmick-or-godsen/
I cannot wait for the release of the iphone 3G. What bothers me is that the 20th is on a Sunday – and I would have thought Vodacom would do some advertising before the official release date (apart from their pre-registration page).
The built-in GPS would be fairly limited in SA taking into account the low level of details Google Maps provide for South Africa. It should be good for geo-tagging photo’s, etc. Plus directions will work in some larger cities, but this is still not voice-guided GPS – only directions.
I use my Nokia N95 to read and reply to email on a daily basis. I am sure the iPhone will be much easier to use for this. The syncing between my iMac/Macbook and the iPhone will also be a huge plus for this phone. (I have tried syncing contacts on the N95 before – which resulted in a complete mess of my phone contacts).
Does anyone know who we can contact to find out more about the official release of the iphone in SA?
Lots of stores are giving you the option to prebook.
I went and pre-booked at a Dion, and they said you are looking at about R1600, excluding a starter-pack (yes, it looks you its available on prepaid).
I am pretty excited for this phone, its ridiculously cheap, compared to and iPod Touch, its half the price with 5 times the functionality.
Although as you can see, it has not been released here yet, and it’s past the 20th July. However, it must be pretty soon, within the next two weeks hopefully.
Cross fingers XD
soooo… where is it?
Just spoke to a chap on Vodacom’s upgrade service (082 1959), and he tells me that the expected release date is towards the very end of August. He actually used the word ‘very’ in his estimate, which grated quite badly in my ear. What’s the big deal? I know there is some testing involved, or so they say, but please, how unique is Vodacom’s network from the rest of Vodaphone’s, where it has already been tested to heck. I have seen so many posts for sim-unlocked iPhone 3g sets. Assuming they are not a scam (which I am to investigate tomorrow), then Vodacom may find that half their clients have already got what they wanted, somewhere else. Come on Vodacom, spell it with me, C-u-s-t-o-m-e-r s-a-t-i-s-f-a-c-t-i-o-n.
So basically vodacom are being douche bags about this. I came on holiday here hoping they would bring it out before i leave on the 8th of aug. I guess all i can do is hope now haha
I spoke to a couple of guys at vodacom. this whole release date seems contradictory because its either gonna launch on the 22 of August or in the first week of September! and the price still hasn’t been confirmed yet because since vodacom is the service provided they are entitled to any pricing of their products despite what apple have said… and this wait is killing me!
Xenon,
If Vodacom doesn’t adhere to Apple’s policy, Steve Jobs will just tell Vodacom to go **** themselves if they don’t want to stick to the APPLE REGULATED price.
Someone who consults for Vodacom( creating the packages) says all pricing has been done but they cannot get sufficient stock for release until November….i hope they are wrong
I recently went to Dubai and saw the iphone 3g 16gb for 5600 dhs(Arabian currency) in the apple store, thats like R11200!!!! but saw the 32gb ipod touch for 2200 dhs…. thats R4400!!!! i don’t understand why the ipod touch can be cheap but the iphone so expensive? what does that mean for the price of it in South Africa? its gonna be dam expensive then! thats a whole lot of bull
I’m traveling to SA in 1.5 weeks. I have a 3G iphone. Will I be able to use it there? Please advise.
askjohnwu your phone should work if you buy a sim card here or if you roam…
On the Vodacom site it says you can pre-book your iPhone, they’ll notify you when they are released etc etc, WTF, that was like 2 months ago!!!!! I filled out the application form and i’ve heard less than nothing, Vodacom is a shit company FULL STOP!!!!! And ontop of it all i went into a Vodacom store, where a less than helpfull clerk said that the now proposed release date is towards the end of November…and maybe not even this year, WTF is up with that?? Vodacom is simply thinking of the easiest way to rip off the south african public, where the phones price will be hiked up to beyond affordability, whereas internationally it’s available for $199 (R1500 approximately). Vodacom is run by a buch of assholes who don’t know the ins and outs of what the service is that they’re supposed to be providing to us, they’re full of empty promises and false advertising (well more like non existant). It’s unbelieveable!!!!!
spoke to someone at the recieving side of the Vodacom warehouse who says they expect a consignement in first week of October
I have received 3 SMS’s from Vodacom that they have received my pre-order for what it is worth, but this is prolly just a way to buy time…
Yup…also got that
To everyone that speculates prices and bad mouths Vodacom, have a chill pill. Patience is a virtue. Why don’t everyone just wait for Vodacom to do their job best they can and see @what price and when it will be released.I also badly want the phone but waiting for another month or 2 is not gone kill anyone.
I think perhaps you are right. We should be more indulgent to Vodacom. Indulgent to a point, that is. So I shall not hold anything they have done against them. I shall however hold what they have NOT done, against them. They have not tried to inform their not so valued clients as to what is happening, when it would be released, and so on and so forth. I am not saying Vodacom are lying or anything, but let’s face it. When no one knows the date, it is easy to say you are still on track. The iPhone may only arrive 2010, and they will still be able to claim that it is ‘still on track’. All I am saying is, does Vodacom think that their silence is a good or a bad public relations idea. Well, I may not be that important to them, but then again, I am no longer their client. I have ported all four of my accounts to MTN. And yeah, it cost me almost R12 000, but I got my iPhone, and it is working just fine (no visual voicemail thing though) on MTN. Now that that is said, I don’t give a sod, if Vodacom brings it out this year, 2010, 2100 or never. There is one good thing that has come out of this whole thing though. I always got offended, and wondered why all my UK/German colleagues thought South Africa had no Customer service. I wonder no more.
Hi,
If I buy an iphone 3G in the States what do I have to do to use it here in SA?
OH. Oh. get me one from the state plsssssss……
i think vodacom should be tought a lesson by someone who can sell us the iphone 3G for fair price before they realese it bcoz we have been waiting for more than we should have, it’s bad for them to always make false promises, bcoz when one goes into their store and ask about the iphone they will tell u that its coming next month come next month they tell that they are not sure when it will come out. iam sick and tide of them.
Soon chaps,very very soon……..
i was so impatient about the time its taking vodacom to revile and launch the iphone and this is the respond i got from an Accomplice
[Hi
Please be advised that the handset will be launched on the 25th of September, you can log in into our web site that day and check it then.]
i got excited but what worries me is the pricing because some shops are already selling it between R7500 and R9000, if it will cost us more than R3000 from vodacom then i advice everyone to order oversea.
bt
lets wait an c.
Vodacom is not goin to release it until they can find a way to bring out an unlimited data package. I had a first gen iPhone and my contract was R800 for DATA usage a month! I sold it hoping to get the new one with vodacom but they would have marketed it months ago! Not 3 days before…..
iPhone might be coming out on Friday the 26th of September! Check this post out here: http://www.itweek.jaded.co.za/224/apple-iphone-3g-26th-september
I was sent an iphone 9 months ago (I am in SA) from a friend in USA and have had my pay as you go sim card in it. Its been working fine. I just plugged it into my computer which already has itunes and it finds everything there. Just dont download latest versions when it asks you or it reverts back to AT&T and you block it again. This is easily reversable though!
to go onto internet go to settings, general, network, edge, take out everything there and type INTERNET in the APN and username.
I have mapped all my fav spots, use internet all the time.
you cant send mms, a pain but never used it anyway. We just need accesories like a neck strap etc. its heavy and so easily slides out of your hand. but I wont go back to a normal phone.
If you ask me, get one from overseas, you pay through your &%&$ here for them!
i got my iphone
omg and do i hate it with a passion
it is really a brick!!!! it is useless adn stupid! it has a the mentality of a housephone
My wife is going to SA later this month. We’re from the US. I’m planning to unlock here iphone. Is there a Pay As You Go sim you would recommend? What are the data rates for this card? Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Pete
Hi Pete,
Just grab a Vodacom pay-as-you-go card – they around R2 ($.20c) and the data charges on them are not that bad too.
Hi,
I want to buy an American iPhone since it is way cheaper than here in S.A (I’m from S.A)
Is there a way that I can unlock it so I can use it with a South African sim card?
If there is, can it work with any South African Network Provider or a specific one?
Help would be appreciated,
Thanks