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iPhone4 in South Africa

The new iPhone 4 went on pre-order today in the US & UK, and I know I can’t wait for the iPhone4 to hit our shores in South Africa. The question on everybody lips though is when we will see it in sunny South Africa.

I mailed the guys at Vodacom earlier today, and just got a response from CEO Pieter Uys (again, #brandplus for customer interaction):

Hi Marc
All we know at this stage is that we will be getting the first shipment around the end of September / beginning of October.
We have not been given any idea of pricing at this stage, however the handset will be available on all Vodacom tariffs.

Awesome. Can.Not wait to get my paws on one of these guys :)

50 replies on “iPhone4 in South Africa”

So… I hear the UK models are not SIM-locked. How we gonna get some UK iPhone4’s to SA? :-D (September is an awefully long time away…)

Also… The UK’s price for the 16GB iphone is ~R6,000.

Would be nice to see Vodacom charge a fair price.

Cool.
It would be nice to confirm that those UK phones are not SIM-locked.
I agree … September is too long.

@ peterp

I second that on the pricing. Vodacom really needs to play nice this time round as the 3GS pricing was just outright stupid. The rest of the world paid the same as they did for the 3G when it was new… But oh no…. how ever can we expect vodacom to comply to that notion, we’ll probably get screwed over once again as per usual with a pay-in of R4500 with a contract that costs R700/month for 250mb data and 120minutes.

Vodacom please wake up and give more people the opportunity to buy the phone. If you price it lower and in line with rest of world, you’ll sell more units and still make your money back.

Mhhh….. Also cant wait till then…… http://www... here we come….

Now do I trade my iPad in for new iPhone :}}……..

Cant seem to find anywhere to get the iPhone 4 yet on the web… Prob have to wait till after launch…. 21 June……

just saw on the US site… iphone 4 32 gig for $299. seriously, how the hell does vodacom justify the price???

$299 is with a contract. You can pre-order the phone from people on Ebay. I got it now for $850 and will expect delivery end June. The BS part is I expect Vodacom to want to sell the 32 gig phone for over R 10000.00

Jason – who is the seller on Ebay that you ordered from? And do you trust them? have you paid already?

I saw some iPhones 4 on bidorbuy.co.za – but do not know if the sellers are overcharging?

End of September? Sjoe, that is long from now. Well, maybe a good thing – that’s when I get back from Aus and I sooooo don’t want it to launch here when I’m abroad :)
Guess I’ll be in the front of the queue to do my contract upgrade when they launch here :)

Remember our Government charges import duties and on electronics it is a massive % of the price which we pay! Brining any electronic item into the country requires you to pay the duty! Else you breaking the law and therefore a tax invader!

I Just got a rough indication of the price of iPhone 4 stock coming in early
– 16GB(R13999.00!!!)
– 32GB(R16000.00!!!)

Am i the only on that thinks this is freaking MAD?

@Trishan – yip, those prices are ridiculous. But then, ppl who import them add a h*ll of a markup – same thing is happening with the iPad.

@Trishan, I agree.
I read in another blog that the 32Gb is expected to be at least 10 quid. Anyway, am more interested in whether the jaibreaking guys have already sharpened their knives. That way I can get me a UK R6,000 plus the beauty of *JAILBREAK* apps. :}}

well, the UK phones aren’t locked anymore, so you can just buy one anyway. why do you think expansys sells them on bidorbuy.co.za?

Why am I struggling to click on the Buy icon on the Xpansys website……

Apple iPhone 4 (Black, 16GB) – R7,954.99

LoL… Must be the ETA between 10-25 Days ?

Trying to convince myself it’s that much better than the 3GS and why I need one???

holy sht… these prices are insane, even current 3Gs prices are high..

– Accoring to vodacom, if we buy a phone from overseas (higher tier country), and it is network locked. You can take it into any Vodacare Shop, and they can remove the Lock for you.
which is good to know, since, we can get better prices overseas.

You say “according to vodacom”. I find that difficult to believe as the money hungry giant is not going to sit back and see its revenue stream from selling phone vanish by unlocking phones left right and centre.

who told you that btw? Unlocking an iPhone’s baseband to work on another network is not a simple flick of a switch. I doubt any vodashop is capable of doing that, plus seeing as they are partnered with Apple… I doubt they can happily unlock iPhones.

This is the email i received back from Vodacom, when i contacted them, regarding buying the phone from a 1st Tier country.

“Kindly be advised that you should be able to use the iPhone4, unless the phone is Network locked. Network locked can be removed at any Vodashop.

Please note that we have not tested the phone yet, so if anything happens to the phone, we will not be able to give you any support on it.”

@Brad – I’d honestly go to a Vodashop first and hear from they if they can unlock an iPhone for you. No offense to Vodacom, but sometimes their representatives just say what they “think” the right answer should be. Yes, Vodacom can unlock many phones but I doubt they unlock iPhones (a slightly different procedure)… Just check with a Vodashop or two first (actually, probably check with a Vodacare)…

@ Charlie – Yes, i agree. i just took the lazy mans way, and emailed them. But next time i am around a shop, i will pop in a ask about it, and get back to you guys…
(i will leave above for reference)

-VODACOM (vodacare), have jus called me, regarding my emails. they have apologized for any confusion.
this is what i was told:
” we can unlock the phone for you, once, we have completed test, and have released the phone to the public.. however. if you buy the phone from the uk (vodaphone – a large vodacom sharholder) as you all know… will, unlock for us, if we ask.. ”

–in simple terms. this needs to be done by dealer or service provider where you purchase it.

extra:
– also, now, i cant give an exact site link, cause i was just browsing. But, O2 (uk), which, i sure they do in other countries too. are selling the iPhone4 “Unlocked” version, well according to their prices, Was 100 Pounds more, then the “locked version”.

In Canada, France and the UK, the iPhone 4 is sold network unlocked. I’m importing mine from the UK. Even though the UK phones are a little bit more expensive than the US ones, getting one that isn’t network locked out of the box is just so much less of a headache.

If by unlocking, the Voda-person meant “jailbreaking & unlocking” by messing around the baseband, I’d say “rather not”. Unless you know exactly what you’re doing, this procedure makes upgrading a painful process… I am not convinced Vodacom can sommers just unlock phones the legal way.

@Pete. ja.
– i agree. id rather spend a liltle more, and know that it has being done correct. Where are you ordering yours from (shop.ec..)

– with regard to vodacom and other service providers.. i dono how they operate and what deals that have with Apple. i jus passing on info. :)

@Brad – ordered from the UK on-line Apple store. I know people who know people with British credit cards, and will have it brought back with someone who’s travelling to the UK soon. Bit of a roundabout way, but I can’t wait till September (and if the 3GS was anything to go by, Vodacom will be out of stock for months).

@pete.
ja, but worth it.. to get it cheaper, unlocked, and early, is perfectly fine.. flippen smart..

im also going down that route (got family in uk)

XD

Also sourcing one from the UK but there is NO Stock anywhere …..

:-{{

I am wanting to bring the i phone 4 back home but it needs a micro sim. I would like to know when the phone is going to be released in South Africa. It is unblocked and is going for a good price, £499, however you need a micro sim, otherwise it wont work….

@Deby you can get a microsim from Vodacom. They are stocking them at the moment. I think they going for about R150 or so. It is also possible to cut your current sim to micro sim size, which is fairly easy. There are a couple of sites on the net that show you how to do this.

By Post Author

Hi, I work for Vodacom and I can confirm they hardly mark the phones up, they work on the landed costs including any duties, VAt etc. plus a small mark up to cover admin, distribution etc. Vodacom makes revenue from airtime and data usage not huge mark ups on phones….. I know as i have to pay in for the iPhone 4 also….

@Slick – ja ja, whatever dude!!
Let’s make a quick comparison: iPhone 4 is launching in Aus this Friday at A$859 for the 16GB (R5700) and A$999 for the 32GB (R6600) – unlocked direct from Apple!
In SA they will probably cost between R8500 and R10000 (same as 3GS was when it launched).
Now, Australia has to import them just the same as what SA has to. Can there really be such a big price difference??? I still think someone in between is coining it!!!
Buying mine cash in Aus next month and then rather getting a voucher with my upgrade :)

Could anyone tell me if they have bought the iphone 4 from Xpansys just wanted to know if it is a scam ??

Haven’t bought the iPhone 4 specifically from Expansys, but have bought other items from them before. As far as Expansys goes – they’re quite legit :) They just usually don’t keep local stock and thus import anything you order (so be prepared to wait)…

^^^
Yeah, I agree…I placed my order for the iPhone 4 on the 8 July 2010 with the knowledge of receiving it on the 30 July – 7 August…Got a mail last week that its delayed till the 14th September:(

I can confirm the i phone 4 is unlocked when bought from an Apple shop in Uk as I did just that. I’ll need a micro sim to insert when I return….do they sell them there yet?

I also had my brother bring in one from the UK. Ordered it at the online apple store (UK) and they delivered it to him. It cost me R5850. It is fully unlocked and working fine with MTN. I had to cut my normaly sim to micro sim size and it worked fine.

was wondering if anybody can help me, i am getting a iphone 4 from the uk the phone is a upgrade from a vodafone contract, if i get the phone will i be able to use it on any cellular network in south africa? if not can i get it unlocked so that i can, and do you know of any additional costs on that?

Hey. Just got my iPhone 4. And it’s beautiful. It was factory unlocked too:).
Signal problems? I think not! :)

I have certainly been seeing more iPhone 4’s in SA Physically..

Has anybody found the easiest way to get one in SA yet?

It seems you need to ask your friends to order online from Apple UK Shop and have to have it shiped to the local person i.e. UK, Then have it shipped or delivered to S.A

Quite a mission especially if you dont have UK friends?

I am off to Singapore in End Sept and hoping to get one there but not sure if it will be a stock item or also still online / back order item?

Any suggestion / Opinions?

Congrats too! I got mine through. My cousins in Dubai. And his dad is pilot so he brought it through with no customs fees or shipping costs:)

I have friends going to the US next month. Is the iPhone 4 network locked there or also unlocked like in the UK? I was worried about the MicroSIM card issue and imaged that service providers wouldn’t just sell you a microsim if they knew you bought the phone overseas because then they won’t make the big bucks they could if they tie you in to an expensive monthly contract. Anyone know if MTN sells microsim cards and can I then keep my same number or should I just cut my sim card smaller?

iPhone 4 from the States is network locked – STAY AWAY!!! Rather get one from the UK / Canada / Australia / Hong Kong.
Don’t worry about getting a micro sim – the networks have to sell you one regardless if you bought a phone from them or not ;)

I’ve heard that one can ‘jailbreak’ the phone it if is network locked. I have the opportunity to get one from the US for R4871. Anyone had any experience with this?

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