It's here: iPhone fever lands in Australia

by William Maher

Jul 11, 2008

| 31 Comments

Tags: iPhone

First iPhones have been sold, as Apple unloads 500 new apps on its App store. If you're buying the iPhone, you'll want to checkout what's on offer.

As we reported this week, iPhone sales began last night when Optus opened it's Sydney George street store for a launch party. Vodafone also joined the club, for those willing to brave early morning winter weather at its Sydney store.

You can check out our coverage of the plans here, and here, (and we'll have full pricing analysis plus a full review today), but the other big exiting news for iPhone owners is Apple's iPhone App Store. Apple has announced 125 free apps on offer, and more than 500 apps in total, including games like Super Monkey Ball, eBay and Facebook apps.

You can access the App Store via iTunes 7.7, and by part of the iPhone 2.0 software update. Unfortunately iPod touch users pay $12.99 for the privilege.

Stay tuned for our pricing analysis, and full review.

Ads by Google

Post your review online now and win 1 of 3 Lenovo laptops!

Comments: 31

bbjai Jul 11, 2008 9:44 AM	Looks like Apple was well prepared for the launch :D Comment made about the PC Authority article: It's here: iPhone fever lands in Australia? First iPhones have been sold, as Apple unloads 500 new apps available on it's App store. If you're buying the iPhone, you'll want to checkout what's on offer. What do you think? Join the discussion.
nix Jul 11, 2008 9:46 AM	So many people lining up for their iPod Touch with 3G module...
M9ROC Jul 11, 2008 11:00 AM	The buzz, the ring of excitement and tone of enthusiasm vibrated down George St this morning. Queues of patient people standing in line awaiting to be amongst the first in the country to clutch their iPhone. Starting with the Apple store, people were, as with the opening of it, queued around the corner in bundles, closely huddled together for body warmth. I'm sure i spotted a few puddles on the floor - maybe from excitement. Then onto the Vodafone store, a tent pitched in the pedestrian part of the street wedged between two buildings allowed the super keen to thaw from the winter cold before embracing the next leg of the journey into the shop. Finally Optus, which had people queuing from the night before was a hive of activity. The city may well be a very busy place with every Mobile Telco shop going nuts and depleting their store's stock faster than water from the Murray Darling.
Pacman Jul 11, 2008 11:51 AM	Bravo, bravo Samurai writer boy! You write faster than a speeding Hachiwari. Your descriptions hit me harder than a flying jutte to the skull! You're obviously getting better at twirling your Manrikigusari around, slicing vivid descriptons of words as you silently Shakuhachi yourself from all the excitment of writing about iphone! :) But I feel, for all the grand words used in your vernacular fervor to describe these fanatics, it'll be understood by most readers as having the weight of a limp Tessen... :P
M9ROC Jul 11, 2008 12:35 PM	Dear Pacman, it's great that you have researched your Japanese weapons and have chosen to throw them in to a reply. However, as your education is meager in this area may i suggest you stick to your tech journalism. Blow that on your shakuhachi. あなたはばかこども
bbjai Jul 11, 2008 1:40 PM	well I just came back from lunch and they are still queing outside the Optus store on George Street. It seems people are willing to give up their lunch times to get a contract and a shiny new iphone. I must admit the advertisements make it look like an awesome and slick package, however in real life it really looks like a brick. And I saw one user using it, and within 10 minutes it was oily grimy mess of a screen. Can't say I've been convinced today just based on first impressions
.:Cyb3rGlitch:. Jul 11, 2008 1:58 PM	That's the one thing I hate about Apple products. They look like shit after 10 seconds of use. Fingerprints make it look really dirty, and when showing someone, they think you have cleanliness issues. :P
Mees Jul 11, 2008 10:04 PM	Alll I have to say about the iPhone is "Here is another phone to waste my time on " half the stuff it has on it I will problay never use and the other half going to cost me a arm and a leg :o Its all aimed at the high end uses. :>
Slatts Jul 12, 2008 2:27 PM	WOW! the Iphone! Can't replace the battery Costs a fortune a month if I download data! Won't instant message! Costs an arm and a leg! Looks real cool! Gotta get me one of them!
.:Cyb3rGlitch:. Jul 12, 2008 2:32 PM	My thoughts exactly. :) I also hate the size. It's a brick, a polished, rounded and expensive brick. I like my gadgets compact. :)
miniman1993 Jul 12, 2008 8:44 PM	i think getting an iphone 3g at this point is stupid becasue one they have sold out almost straight away two they are incredibly expensive because they are the first of the multi touch ipod/phone and three i bet if you waited till cristmas they will bring out another iphone thats even better and more expensive therfore this iphone will go down in price.
ferndene Jul 13, 2008 8:32 AM	When I get to the Telstra shop on George Street on Friday there were only 3 people in front of me waiting to get an iPhone (whereas across the road at the Apple store the queue went round King Street down towards Darling Harbour!). I have always been with Telstra for my mobile service as I need the coverage in the country so I don't have much choice even though Telstra iPhone plan is more expensive than Optus + Vodafone. I found out the next day even you buy the iPhone from Apple Store without a contract the phone will still be locked to one of the 3 networks. After using the iPhone for a couple of days I found it extremely easy to use and set up - have to give full marks to Apple for the design and the software for the iPhone. Setting up Wi-Fi is a 2-step job, select the network and put in the network key, it is that easy and it will automatically log on to the same network once you are in range again. Same with connecting to existing e-mail account - just select e.g. Gmail, put in password and all e-mail in you inbox will appear in you iPhone and from my iPhone I can view, reply and even delete unwanted e-mails as if I am sitting in front of my computer. All the changes I made on my iPhone is synchronized with Gmail. Of course the iPhone has a lot of functions missing as compared with other handset using Windows Mobile or Symbian but in my opinion simple things that it does, it does it better than other phones. With iPhone I can actually browse the net (with wi-fi) without waiting for minutes for web pages to appear and then trying to read with a magnifying glass. So far I have not been able to test cellular data download as Telstra has not set it up for my account yet. There are a few things I don't like about the iPhone - the screen and body shows up grubby marks so easily (that is why the phone comes with a cleaning cloth). I managed to find a silicon phone cover for the iPhone at Paddy's Market for $12 and a screen protector for $6. The supplied headphone has a build in mike but the sound quality is not good for playing music. So do I like the new iPhone? I love it! I never thought I needed a phone that play music before but this one combined a mobile phone, an iPod, web browser and e-mail on the go (that works). It is a micro computer!
Slatts Jul 13, 2008 11:56 AM	Did I mention the incompatibility of most bluetooth headsets? Bluetooth car kits? I'm told that some Ipod docking stations will kill your shiny new eye-phone if you plug it in to charge it? Data costs! I know I said that before but it needs repeating. When you download your Email you want to hope nobody sent you a big Jpeg or small mpeg :( But by crikey you look cool using it!
.:Cyb3rGlitch:. Jul 13, 2008 12:01 PM	I love the HTC Diamond. It's smaller than the iPhone, and pretty cool: http://youtube.com/watch?v=6mycg3EL2us
Slatts Jul 13, 2008 1:30 PM	.:Cyb3rGlitch:. wrote: I love the HTC Diamond. It's smaller than the iPhone, and pretty cool: http://youtube.com/watch?v=6mycg3EL2us Looks like a nice phone. Personally I'm a bit of a Luddite re phones. The one I use is about 5 years old. no multimedia, no camera. Just voice and SMS. It's about half the age of this laptop and like the laptop, still using its original battery. Which can be replaced. By me. I use a digital camera for photos:-$
.:Cyb3rGlitch:. Jul 13, 2008 1:34 PM	:P My phone is a Nokia 3200. It has a camera, but it's more like a blur generator. I'm looking for a cheap phone which is very thin, all I need is SMS and maybe 3G.
Slatts Jul 13, 2008 1:48 PM	.:Cyb3rGlitch:. wrote: :P My phone is a Nokia 3200. It has a camera, but it's more like a blur generator. I'm looking for a cheap phone which is very thin, all I need is SMS and maybe 3G. My old mobile is a Nokia 17 something. Bloody near bullet proof. My Wife uses a ZTE prepaid thing that'd suit your needs. Takes photos (not blurs - except the ones from Sunday mornings:roll: ) Bluetooth, bung a 1Gd micro sd card in it and it holds a shirt load of mp3s or data files if you want to use it as a memstick. Does the trick. It's also 3G. Or is that next G? what ever the new protocol is.
bbjai Jul 13, 2008 1:53 PM	I don't like using MP3's on my phone, it craps all over the battery making it a two day and a charge job. I much prefer getting a phone and a dedicated MP3 player. 4G is the next protocol in Japan. They don't even sms they just email. If you ask for the email they give you their phone one.
.:Cyb3rGlitch:. Jul 13, 2008 1:54 PM	I don't even need a camera. :P But it seems that most thin phones have no 3G. :/
loksze Jul 13, 2008 2:05 PM	Since iPhone is going to be the hottest topic for the next few weeks, (even months for some other countries waiting for the release) I won't be surprised that SCAMS starts hitting consumers wanting a free iPhone, similar to the most notable Nigerian scams. So be aware of such scam and not get caught and also remind those close to you that there are no such thing as free lunch!
loksze Jul 13, 2008 2:05 PM	Since iPhone is going to be the hottest topic for the next few weeks, (even months for some other countries waiting for the release) I won't be surprised that SCAMS starts hitting consumers wanting a free iPhone, similar to the most notable Nigerian scams. So be aware of such scam and not get caught and also remind those close to you that there are no such thing as free lunch!
.:Cyb3rGlitch:. Jul 13, 2008 2:55 PM	Probably, but they're usually quite obvious.
Slatts Jul 13, 2008 3:55 PM	bbjai wrote: I don't like using MP3's on my phone, it craps all over the battery making it a two day and a charge job. I much prefer getting a phone and a dedicated MP3 player. 4G is the next protocol in Japan. They don't even sms they just email. If you ask for the email they give you their phone one. It's the wifes phone. Less battery time can be a real saving:-$
totoaus Jul 15, 2008 10:06 PM	Isn't this so typically Australian. A long sought device is finally available and what is the reaction: complaint! It's not as though there were any surprises thanks to leaks and overseas releases. It's basically just an iPod Touch with another radio for telephony. What's the iPod Touch really but Apple's second attempt at a PDA (after the Newton) based on extending the iPod brand. of course, no one can dispute Apple's design and engineering excellence, without it they've been dead for at least a decade, and given a choice I'd be all Apple (not PC) for their engineering excellence. However, when it comes to buying an iPod, my first choice is not a fancy FLASH based model, with or without phone; but the Classic for its much greater storage capacity and heritage links to the original iPod with HDD. When all of the FLASH iPods have at least eight times their present storage capacity, then they become a compelling purchase, beside the Classic. Think about it: a 16 GB Shuffle holds enough quality music, a 64 GB Nano holds my present life's data (music, photos, data, scanned books), while a 256 GB Touch or iPhone gives me room for the future.
mordie Jul 16, 2008 8:19 AM	Going to be interesting to see the monthly bills for these iphones... I hear some plans have unlimited data for the first month but then ... In the USA it's cheaper for dat - Here it is expensive... Wait and see..
kidicarus Jul 17, 2008 6:42 PM	Prepaid iphone 3G = $729 = Ripoff!
mordie Jul 18, 2008 1:05 PM	I'm waiting to see what the Samsung i900 is going to be like and which carriers here in Australia will pick it up... Edited by mordie: 18/7/2008 01:05:31 PM
Blacksmithoz Jul 18, 2008 4:38 PM	Just bought an LG TU500, BIG Mistake. Should have checked out the forums first. On its own its probably an OK phone, but Telstra have crippled any usability. Looks like an iPhone sooner rather than later.
William Maher Jul 21, 2008 5:23 PM	ferndene wrote: After using the iPhone for a couple of days I found it extremely easy to use and set up - have to give full marks to Apple for the design and the software for the iPhone. ferndene, would you like to post this as a user review, on our iPhone review page? I'm sure many other readers would be interested to read what you have to say. It's easy: just click the "User Reviews" tab at the top of the review page here.
sein Aug 3, 2008 12:58 AM	I'd prefer the iTouch over this...
ric Aug 8, 2008 6:50 PM	I had my first Apple experience with a 30Gig iPod. It impressed me to the extent that I sold the iPod after 6 months and bought an iRiver. What I need is for PC@uthority to do a comparative review between: iPhone - Blackberry Bold - the new HTC thingie. Everyone at work has jumped on the iPhone (I am consulting to one of the Telcos) while I am waiting for a proper business phone from a reputable company - I'm leaning towards Blackberry. I have to replace my Nokia soon as the drivers still bluescreen my Vista64 operating system on my main travelling laptop.