This photo shows an iPhone shop in Seoul. According to the local law firm Hwimyung on Dec. 28, 2017, some 20 iPhone users plan to submit a class suit against Apple Korea for slowing down older iPhone models early next year. (Yonhap)
A customer places a preorder for U.S. tech giant Apple Inc.’s latest iPhone X smartphone at a branch of mobile carrier KT in Seoul on Nov. 17, 2017. South Korea’s mobile carriers said their first preorder batch of iPhone X smartphones were sold out within a few minutes after being launched, apparently due to supply shortages. (Yonhap)
For people in Korea interested in purchasing the new iPhone X you may have to wait awhile because Apple is not prioritizing getting the phone to the Republic of Samsung any time soon:
iPhone X
Apple fans in Korea watched the company’s unveiling of its new devices Wednesday morning and got their first glimpses of the highly-anticipated 10th anniversary iPhone X, and successors to the iPhone 7, the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus.
But if they plan on buying those new Apple phones, they might have to wait – possibly until January for the special-edition iPhone X.
The iPhone 8 models and the iPhone X won’t be released at the same time. Apple is set to accept orders for 4.7-inch iPhone 8 and its bigger sibling, the 5.5-inch 8 Plus, on Friday and will begin shipping on Sept. 22. The first batch of countries to receive deliveries on Sept. 22 total 29 and Korea is excluded. The second batch, also totaling 29, will see the phones delivered on Sept. 29. Korea is not in that group.
Orders and deliveries for the 5.8-inch iPhone X will be later, a confirmation of rumors that Apple is having trouble with its supply of key components including OLED displays. [Joong Ang Ilbo]
That is what is being claimed in the below article to explain the reduction in subsidies that all the cell phone carriers in South Korea implemented for the release of the new iPhone 6S which has increased the overall cost of the smartphone:
Prospective buyers of iPhone 6s line up in front of the KT headquarters in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul, on Friday. The increased cost of the new phones wasn’t enough to deter these anxious buyers who lined up for the latest Apple release. [KANG JUNG-HYUN]Apple’s latest iPhone 6s made headlines earlier this week when preorder sales sold out in a record seven minutes. But the smartphone and the larger iPhone 6s Plus are being sold with a subsidy that is roughly 40 percent less than the previous model that went on sale a year ago.
The new phones are also 20,000 won ($18) to 30,000 won more expensive than the earlier release.
The nation’s three mobile carriers – SK Telecom, KT and LG U+ – unveiled on Friday the subsidies and price of the latest Apple smartphones as they started official in-store sales of the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus.
The mobile carriers set the maximum subsidies on both models between 120,000 won and 130,000 won – much less than the subsidy provided on the iPhone 6 last year, which was in the 100,000 won to 200,000 won range. In the case of KT, the maximum subsidy it provided on the iPhone 6 last year was 250,000 won.
The slashed subsidies went against earlier market expectations of substantial subsidies on Apple’s new smartphones due to keen competition among mobile carriers to hijack one another’s customers.
Mobile carriers and the Korean manufacturer gave different answers for reasons why subsidies have been slashed almost in half.
“It was largely the result of Samsung Electronics’ influence to keep Apple in check,” said a mobile carrier official, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue.
The mobile carriers said the Korean smartphone maker made an unofficial request to limit the subsidies on iPhones, and the mobile carriers can’t refuse because Samsung Electronics is the biggest smartphone supplier. [Joong Ang Ilbo]
It is a bit amazing how popular the Apple iPhone continues to be in the land of arch rival Samsung:
Despite a price tag as much as $100 higher than previous models, the popularity of Apple’s latest iPhone 6s and 6s Plus appears hotter than ever in Seoul.
The country’s three major mobile carriers said on Monday that preorders of the entire first batch of the two mega-popular phones, with guaranteed shipping on Oct. 23, ran out in less than 10 minutes after they were made available on the carriers’ respective websites at 9 a.m. on Monday.
Top player SK Telecom presold the latest iPhones in two groups, using the date customers are guaranteed to receive the phone and launch a subscription – on Oct. 23 and on Oct. 24.
The first batch sold out in seven minutes and the second in half an hour, according to an SK spokesman. He refused to disclose the number of phones the company released on preorders.
The seven-minute record is the fastest for any iPhone model, given iPhone 6’s first preorder in October last year was done in nine minutes and its predecessor 5s, in 10 minutes in October 2013. [Joong Ang Ilbo]
Those looking to get their hands on the newest offering from Apple won’t have to wait much longer as they have announced the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will begin sales on October 31st in 36 additional countries and territories, including South Korea, as well as across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America and Africa have been added by the Cupertino, California company in a press statement yesterday.
Pre-orders by Korea’s three mobile carriers — SK Telecom, KT and LG U+ — will begin October 24th. [Busan Haps]
A local smartphone retailer advertises pre-orders for the iPhone 6 showcased in the United States on Sept. 10, 2014. The release date for the South Korean market has not yet been announced. (Yonhap)
Image via Flickr user Pic-k-art.
