Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

iPhone Announced for Hong Kong and Macau

It looks to me that 3 isn't the sole provider for the iPhone in Hong Kong. A banner on 3's website says "Available first at 3". Logic would suggest to me, they'd make more of an issue of it's exclusivity and use it as a selling point, if it were exclusive, and word it as "Only on 3", as is the case in the UK with O2. As it stands, it looks like 3 will be the first provider to launch the iPhone, with other carriers to follow?!

Three HK
 
CrouchingDonkey said:
It looks to me that 3 isn't the sole provider for the iPhone in Hong Kong. A banner on 3's website says "Available first at 3". Logic would suggest to me, they'd make more of an issue of it's exclusivity and use it as a selling point, if it were exclusive, and word it as "Only on 3", as is the case in the UK with O2. As it stands, it looks like 3 will be the first provider to launch the iPhone, with other carriers to follow?!

Three HK
Click to expand...

I sure hope this is the case. I've heard 3 sucks OO
 
Any way to unlock and use it with another carrier?

Don't want to be using the "3" when i'm traveling in another country. Roaming's not cheap.
 
What is "heard-to-heart", "multimedia content" and "text content" ?

And what does the "prepayment" price mean ?

The pricing in general in HK seems REALLY strange from what I have seen. All kinds of strange "value-added" services I have never heard of. :)

I am moving to HK in a month so thats why I am interested
 
hene01 said:
What is "heard-to-heart", "multimedia content" and "text content" ?

And what does the "prepayment" price mean ?

The pricing in general in HK seems REALLY strange from what I have seen. All kinds of strange "value-added" services I have never heard of. :)

I am moving to HK in a month so thats why I am interested
Click to expand...

heart-to-heart is a funky name from 3HK, that said, local voice calls within their network

"multimedia content" & "text content" is a big rip-off and stupid pay content model, like local news in text or video format, MTV or anything like that, long before we all have good mobile browser and data services, you can pretty much ignore it, and don't bother to use it at all.....

oh ya... and the prepayment... together with the handset price, you need to pay upfront when you subscribe to their services, and they will do a monthly rebate on top of your bill, for the amount that you have prepaid, over the cause of your contract period. So, the $188 plan will have a roughly $72/month rebate over 24months

:):)
 
what's that "prepayment" price then ?

How much will the 8gb model with the 188HKD/month subscription cost me in total ? is it 2938 + 24x188 or 1742 + 24x188 ? or something totally else :) ??
 
hene01 said:
The pricing in general in HK seems REALLY strange from what I have seen. All kinds of strange "value-added" services I have never heard of. :)
Click to expand...

I'm totally with you on that one! 3's tariff structures are particularly confusing to me.

I've been trying to figure out 'prepayment', and all I can imagine it to be is some sort of deposit. Not sure why that's required.

On another note, I know the tariffs start at a lower price point compared to USA/UK, but the handset is way more expensive. A total deal breaker, because you have to sign a tariff when you buy it. It works out much more than the rumoured Pay-As-You-Go price from O2 in the UK.

Get this from their FAQ page:
Q Will standalone iPhone 3G handset be available for sale?
A No. The iPhone 3G needs to go with a series of data-centric tariff plan in order to perform its best. 3 Hong Kong has tailor-made a series of data tariff plans, coupled with unique contents and applications, allowing 3G users to fully indulge in the mobile Internet world.

'Needs'? I think that's pure marketing bollocks for starters! Hehe!
 
hene01 said:
what's that "prepayment" price then ?

How much will the 8gb model with the 188HKD/month subscription cost me in total ? is it 2938 + 24x188 or 1742 + 24x188 ? or something totally else :) ??
Click to expand...

for an 8G iPhone, no matter which plan you go for, your upfront cost will be the same, which is $4680, now depends on which plan you go for, the rebate will be different, that's the prepayment come in to play.

for example, the $188/month plan, the total rebate over 24months will be $1742, which is the prepayment figure, which is roughly $72/month, so your month bill will be $116 ($188-$72) for 24months

if you go for the $268/month plan, the total rebate is $2942, and your monthly rebate is about $122, and the actual monthly bill will be around $146

Get it?
 
CrouchingDonkey said:
I'm totally with you on that one! 3's tariff structures are particularly confusing to me.

I've been trying to figure out 'prepayment', and all I can imagine it to be is some sort of deposit. Not sure why that's required.

On another note, I know the tariffs start at a lower price point compared to USA/UK, but the handset is way more expensive. A total deal breaker, because you have to sign a tariff when you buy it. It works out much more than the rumoured Pay-As-You-Go price from O2 in the UK.

Get this from their FAQ page:
Q Will standalone iPhone 3G handset be available for sale?
A No. The iPhone 3G needs to go with a series of data-centric tariff plan in order to perform its best. 3 Hong Kong has tailor-made a series of data tariff plans, coupled with unique contents and applications, allowing 3G users to fully indulge in the mobile Internet world.

'Needs'? I think that's pure marketing bollocks for starters! Hehe!
Click to expand...

well... depends on what "tailor-made" means......
this is their normal mobile data services charage,

http://www.three.com.hk/website/template?pageid=35260&lang=eng

which is way more expensive than the iPhone one on the lower end, so they "tailor-made" the lower-end to fit iPhone users :D:D
 
rtao said:
well... depends on what "tailor-made" means......
this is their normal mobile data services charage,
Click to expand...

Actually, you've just highlighted something else I think is bollocks. 'Tailor-made', suggests it's made to suit each individual customer. As in when you buy a tailor-made suit, it should fit you perfectly, and you get to choose how it's finished; buttons, pockets, collar etc. Somehow, with 3's tariffs, I bet excluding the multimedia and text content for a lower monthly price won't be an option. I've asked them previously about their tariffs, if I can add an 'Inter SMS' bundle, but no such thing exists, and SMS to other networks are charged individually. To sum up, their tariffs sound more 'Off the rack' than 'Tailor-made'. The dirty, lying, robbing bastards! :D
 
oh man, those phones are expensive.

I think I will just wait for an unlocked version and get one of those once i arrive, that way I don't have to pay the monthly fee once I have left HK. ( I am only staying for 10 months)
 
dissapointed about 3 in HOng Kong...

what happened to the steve jobs announcement?

US$200 for a 8gig model?

3 just came out with their price plan.

for the 8gig model it will cost 2900HKD! that is double what steve said!

and there is no rebate involved! that is the base cost...

i guess we have no choice.
 
brannyxx said:
for the 8gig model it will cost 2900HKD! that is double what steve said!

i guess we have no choice.
Click to expand...

I'm going to wait a while. If you read between the lines on 3 HK's website, I don't think they have absolute exclusivity.

They said that the iPhone was 'Available first on 3', on an earlier banner. And now on the FAQ page it reads:
Q Is 3 Hong Kong the exclusive dealer?
A We are the only operator selling iPhone 3G on 11 July 2008.

If they were the sole carrier for the life of the iPhone 3G, they wouldn't have to put the date in there. Seems to me, another carrier will offer it in days to come.
 
CrouchingDonkey said:
I'm going to wait a while. If you read between the lines on 3 HK's website, I don't think they have absolute exclusivity.

They said that the iPhone was 'Available first on 3', on an earlier banner. And now on the FAQ page it reads:
Q Is 3 Hong Kong the exclusive dealer?
A We are the only operator selling iPhone 3G on 11 July 2008.

If they were the sole carrier for the life of the iPhone 3G, they wouldn't have to put the date in there. Seems to me, another carrier will offer it in days to come.
Click to expand...


yep . The other carrier to have signed is CSL.
but you are right. I talked to a sales. they say their are the "first" and not exclusive.

The other question i asked is if they are selling sim locked i phones. and they said they didn't know yet.

the last question i asked was that after the initial 500 are sold out, how long will it take to replenish. and again, they said they didn't know.

Does their PR department even attempt to work out a FAQ themselves and anticipate the simplest of most asked questions?

i felt like i was talking to a brick wall.
 
brannyxx said:
yep . The other carrier to have signed is CSL.
but you are right. I talked to a sales. they say their are the "first" and not exclusive.

The other question i asked is if they are selling sim locked i phones. and they said they didn't know yet.

the last question i asked was that after the initial 500 are sold out, how long will it take to replenish. and again, they said they didn't know.

Does their PR department even attempt to work out a FAQ themselves and anticipate the simplest of most asked questions?

i felt like i was talking to a brick wall.
Click to expand...

I would have to believe both CSL and Smartone will eventually have iPhone on the shelf, as they might got their contract hook up via Telstra and Vodafone
 
rtao said:
I would have to believe both CSL and Smartone will eventually have iPhone on the shelf, as they might got their contract hook up via Telstra and Vodafone
Click to expand...


CSL has definitely already announced they are offering yet. but unfortunately 3 gets rights to the initial launch.

as for smartone-vodafone, you would have thought that too. but unfortunately there is still no word from them, even after the huge 10 country deal that they announced.

anyway, newspapers have confirmed it. despite the hefty 2900HKD price tag for the phone, as far as all the 2 year contracts in the world. the all in on the 3 package is the BEST in the world... go figure... haha...

anyway. good luck on the first 500 to have it legally....
 
brannyxx said:
CSL has definitely already announced they are offering yet. but unfortunately 3 gets rights to the initial launch.

as for smartone-vodafone, you would have thought that too. but unfortunately there is still no word from them, even after the huge 10 country deal that they announced.

anyway, newspapers have confirmed it. despite the hefty 2900HKD price tag for the phone, as far as all the 2 year contracts in the world. the all in on the 3 package is the BEST in the world... go figure... haha...

anyway. good luck on the first 500 to have it legally....
Click to expand...

CSL isn't much use, I want it on Smartone-Vodafone! Like 90% of my friends are on it too, which means texting is free.

It doesn't surprise me that the iPhone is cheapest in HK. Mobile calls and tariffs are generally much cheaper here than a lot of countries. But then, how many transmitters does it require to serve the whole of HK?! No where near as many as it would take to serve the whole of the UK, or even the USA. So, I find that price comparisons though good to look at, they don't mean that much in terms of true value.


brannyxx said:
The other question i asked is if they are selling sim locked i phones. and they said they didn't know yet.

the last question i asked was that after the initial 500 are sold out, how long will it take to replenish. and again, they said they didn't know.

Does their PR department even attempt to work out a FAQ themselves and anticipate the simplest of most asked questions?
Click to expand...

Hehe! It's not just 3's PR department who are pants. I find the majority of HK companies just don't feed information to their sales force. Their job is to sell, sell, sell. Thus they don't seem to be able to answer the most simplest of questions. If it's not in their script, they don't know. I think that's incredibly bad service. Having said that, the two questions I've quote from you could be a strategic move: "We don't know how soon another shipment arrives, so you best register with us now, to be in with a chance of getting one of the first 500!" and "We don't know if we'll ever release an unlocked iPhone, so if you want one, then you best register with us now, to be in with the chance of getting one fo the first 500!" Hehe! Or, in truth as we know with Apple, they've very secretive about their next moves, so even if higher up managers/executives know exactly what's gonna happen, the sales force my not have been briefed yet.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back