3GWeek - Asia’s Mobile News

Always start your day with 3G iPhone news! Yeah, I hope you don’t mind with this. Yesterday, I’ve told you that 3G iPhone will likely hit stores’ shelves at 8:00 AM CT time or your own local time. And now, this is an important news to you should read and know about.

Softbank 3G iPhone Price

Unlike two European carriers, O2 and T-Mobile that dare enough to give Apple iPhone 3G at its lowest price, Softbank seems only wanted to do the contrary for their customers. Japan’s third largest carriers (or smallest one) will sell the 8 GB 3G iPhone for Â¥23,040 ($214.6). While the 16 GB version will start at Â¥34,560 ($321). This 3G iPhone price, as you might already knew, is higher that what Steve Jobs had told us on WWDC 2008. He stated at that time that their only cellphone will not cost more than $199 or $299 in every country in this world. Regardless this price issue, Softbank users are able to pay this price tag over two years. Strategy which AT&T hasn’t implemented yet.

Softbank 3G iPhone Price Plan

On its price plan, obviously, Softbank trying to push their revenue with this handset by charging their customers with Â¥7,280/month contract. This is of course a “Wow” since company’s average income per user is flying around at Â¥4,310. Beyond this extremely high price plan, chief executive Masayoshi Son said that the main point this time is feature attractiveness rather than price.

Hmm, I think Son is could be right. Hey, this is Japan. The place where people do not think too much about gadget’s price. As long as you give them a lot of features and high end technology, they will like it and buy it anyway.

Source: Reuters via Ars Technica

Image courtesy of nxi4