14 DAY TRIAL // Cupertino-based Apple has just got its highly popular iPhone device launched on the Korean market. In the already known launch style, the iPhone has seen a very warm welcome in Korea, with a large number of people lining up to purchase the handset from KT, the carrier that has exclusivity on the Apple device for the time being.
[ADMARk=1]The main reason for iPhone's fast adoption on this market seems to be its relatively lower price, when compared to how much other mobile phone makers ask for their smartphones in Korea. For example, the 32 GB iPhone 3GS is priced at $317 upon the signing of a two-year contract agreement with KT on a $38 per month plan, and goes for free on a $112 monthly plan, while devices from other vendors are priced significantly higher.
According to the news around the Internet, KT has already received a number of more than 60,000 orders for the Apple iPhone, something that might determine companies like Samsung and LG Electronics to operate price cuts for the smartphones they currently sell in the country. The iPhone has been already estimated to be able to start a price war on the mobile phone market in Korea, and the high demand it already sees might prove that very soon.
According to Dan Butterfield from iPhonAsia, Korea “has a sophisticated group of consumers who are eager to take full advantage of iPhone’s superior user interface and application offerings.” This represented a great opportunity for Apple to showcase some capabilities that are reportedly specific to the iPhone.
It should be interesting to see how the iPhone will perform on the Korean market. Samsung and LG, as many of you might already know, as South Korean-based companies, so they might come up with great offers to counterattack iPhone's take up on the market. Moreover, other companies are also present with devices in Korea, including Nokia and HTC, which means that a price war might start in no time.