Asia underground is prepared for iPhone 3G
If you are living in Asia, whether your country is eligible to grab iPhone 3G in legit way (or not), there is no barrier for you to have it right away. When iPhone was only launched in the USA, even people here in Indonesia can enjoy the Apple technology. As the trade off, we need to pay 2 or 3 times higher than the regular price tag.
Apple has widen their territories in Asia by covering Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, and Phillippines, but I am sure that it won’t stop iPhone 3G to enter black (or grey) market. A shop owner in China has confessed that he already achieved 40+ booking for iPhone 3G. He estimates that the phone will reach China mainland in a matter of week.
Demands for unlocked iPhone 3G in Asia is very high, although their country already included into iPhone 3G coverage. A student in Hong Kong said, she has already signed contract for another operator and doesn’t want to make another. Thus, she wanted to buy unlocked iPhone 3G, instead the legal one. Why she so insist on having the phone? Well, everybody around her are having it, why not her also?
iPhone 3G in Hong Kong is sold unlocked, but customers need to buy 2 years contract, while the 6 GB variant itself is sold for US$ 375. If unlocked, seller estimates the phone will be sold at US$ 700 price tag. Quite expensive of course, but you have your own freedom not to sign 2 years plan with any operator.
Apple itself has made a lawsuit to a Singapore retailer last year. But as we commonly know, trading in grey and black market is not something easy to be banished. Apple commented that they can audit the goods traded in illegal market by identifying phone’s serial number (and then identify the seller), but they most likely will do nothing since grey market also help Apple boosts the sales (and helps promoting) the iPhone 3G to other not-yet-lucky countries.
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