14 DAY TRIAL // Apple's iPhone is impatiently awaited by Australia and, although there have been various rumors about its launch, there were no official details to sustain it, not from Apple and nor from any of the Australian carriers.
The wait will apparently be ended in June, when not only that the iPhone hits the Australian market, but it also comes in its 3G version.
According to a post made on the MacTalk forums, mobile phone resellers have been informed by Apple Australia that the iPhone will be available on Australian grounds starting the last days of June. Moreover, the handset will be sold via more than one carrier and also through various retail stores.
But this only means the "simple" iPhone is coming, and not the 3G iPhone, right? Right, but there are a few more details that lead to the 3G detail, exposed below.
Knowing the fact that there's only one operator in Australia to support the current EDGE-only version of the iPhone (and that is Telstra), the "more than one carrier" reference does not make sense. Also, the 3G iPhone is almost confirmed for the next months, and the end of June coincides with the opening of the new Australian Apple store, in Sidney. Therefore, the 3G iPhone seems to be indeed a June reality.
Now there's the problem of which Australian carriers will make (or already made) deals with Apple. All the major operators have 3G networks (Telstra, Optus, Vodafone and Hutchison's 3), so the speedy 3G iPhone could be available for all four of them. If so, most of Australia's mobile subscribers (more than 20 million) will be able to get the iPhone without switching contracts. Sure, only a part of them will actually buy Apple's handset, but that's another story and it's not even important. The important thing is that Australia will finally have the iPhone, and even in its 3G flavor.