Troubled iPhone 4 to go on sale
Apple also announces iPad prices and data plans
By Claire McEntee, Computerworld staff, Auckland | Thursday, 22 July 2010Vodafone will begin selling Apple's iPhone 4 in New Zealand on July 30 but is yet to announce pricing or confirm it will supply "bumper cases" to fix the device's antenna problem.
The latest iPhone had a troubled debut, with complaints of widespread antenna and reception issues after last month's launch. Apple addressed the issue – caused by users accidently muffling the built-in antenna – with free "bumper" cases.
Vodafone spokesman Matt East said Apple had not confirmed it would provide the cases in New Zealand, but it was safe to assume customers would get them.
Pundits have picked the iPhone 4, with video-calling, a higher-resolution camera and better display, will cost $1100 to $1500.
Meanwhile, Apple has released official prices for its iPad tablet computer, due out in New Zealand tomorrow. iPads will start at $799 for the 16GB Wi-Fi only model.
Vodafone has announced that it will offer dedicated data plans for iPad with wi-fi and 3G in New Zealand from tomorrow, the day the Apple device officially goes on sale here.
The data plans for iPad will be available on a month by month basis, providing users with the freedom to activate or cancel a plan at any time.
“We’re delighted to offer dedicated data plans for the iPad wi-fi and 3G on New Zealand’s most reliable mobile network," says Kursten Shalfoon, Vodafone New Zealand’s General Manager of Consumer Marketing, in a statement from Vodafone announcing the data plans.
"More and more customers want to access the internet wherever they are and iPad wi-fi and 3G will allow them that freedom in over 97 percent of where New Zealanders live, work and play," he says.
No bumpers!
Who cares what they are called! And anyway calling them bumpercases covers both bumpers and cases, so could be this is just a "case" of the writer "bumping" off a few extra words. :-)
By the way, did a bit of my own research with a BlackBerry, a Nokia and an iPhone 3GS and everyone of them dropped signal strength when I held the phones with a full grip, so this whole antenna business is a real beat-up. The other manufacturers should be brought to task.
Posted by Danny Boy at 10:38 on July 22, 2010
Who cares what they are called! And anyway calling them bumpercases covers both bumpers and cases, so could be this is just a "case" of the writer "bumping" off a few extra words. :-)
By the way, did a bit of my own research with a BlackBerry, a Nokia and an iPhone 3GS and everyone of them dropped signal strength when I held the phones with a full grip, so this whole antenna business is a real beat-up. The other manufacturers should be brought to task.
Posted by Danny Boy at 10:38 on July 22, 2010
No bumpers!
Full grip is not the problem. All that is required is a single touch to a point on the edge which bridges the two antennae's. No other manufacturer suffers this problem.
Posted by marks at 10:21 on July 23, 2010
Full grip is not the problem. All that is required is a single touch to a point on the edge which bridges the two antennae's. No other manufacturer suffers this problem.
Posted by marks at 10:21 on July 23, 2010
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Bumpers and cases are not the same thing! Why does the press keep making this mistake?
Apple said they couldn't make enough bumpers in the press conference. That is why they are going to offer cases instead.
Posted by Anonymous at 08:15 on July 22, 2010
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