I should stop wasting time on forums and work
nop your 100% correct that the US is behind the times.
I am not saying the iphone is a bad product i am questioning apples strategy.
From my understanding the iphone is a direct compeditor to XDA / treo
http://www.apple.com/iphone/specs.htmlAlso they run at like $400US.
Treos and XDA run at like $600+ US (depending on model).
From the specs, iphone has a bigger screen, more memory etc.
Also it has a 2M camera which very important for asia (need to send pics to other family members
)
If iphones where available here, i would go purchase one right now
, i paid a lot more for my xda (O2).
Fuking blackberry
. My mother in law has one, (I do not even think u can buy one here anymore), people laff at here and tell her to get with the times
.
In asia people love gadgets. Department stores are filled full of "labour saving devices" with demonstrators. That waffle iron, coffee maker, toaster would be a big hit here. Ironically these items are purchased, taken home and never used. The maid takes one look at the contraption and has no idea how to use it
and then just sticks it in the cupboard with all the other contraptions that are never used
99.99% of PH has cell phone coverage.
PH is a lot smaller then USA and also has a much higher population density, so as a result cell companies can recover costs of cell towers a lot quicker.
Also due to lack of regulation there are 4 major cell providers in PH.
Due to stiff competition each cell provider has to try and offer better features,price etc.
As a result life in PH has drastically changed because of the cell phone.
It is very common for one family member to work in manila and send $$$ back to the provinces to support the rest of the family.
The cell companies offer unlimited SMS for like 10-15 PHP a day ($0.50) well within anyones budget, as a result family member can now talk to his family, send pictures etc.
Also you can buy low-end cellphones (some sort of chinese lookalike with a name like KNOCKIA
) for as little as 1500 PHP ($30) this is because of lack of regulation etc, no need for FDA approval here.
These type of phones are very popular with maids etc, as a result they do nothing all day and SMS with their boyfriend etc
As cellphone ussuage increases, this has the effect of lower price etc.
The sending $$$ with cellphone here is an important feature. The working member of the family has to send $$$ back to the province. It is very easy and safe to do with cellphone.
A prime example of apple's success in PH is ipod ussuage. Most every family has someone working in middle east, singapore, hong kong, america etc. I have no idea why but when they come back for visit (every year) they will bring home like 2-3 ipods, nokia phones etc. That is how u can have a guy in middle of a slum with a fuking ipod. With typical pinoy ingenuity a cottage industry has developed. Go to the mall/market etc. You can rent a puter for like 20 PHP per hour, it is full of MP3s and u can load ur ipod
So my point is apple should be in asia in the markets with nokia,sony erickson, samsung etc.
(tried to find a good pic of a PH market, but none of the ones on the net really show the hussle and bustle, how crowded it is, and how big they are. They sell everything from food, clothes, and in midst of it a stall selling cellphones
)
