Apple Iphone 3G in Malaysia

Wow, after almost nine months, the Apple Iphone 3G is finally arriving officially on Malaysian shores. Well, it is finally here, at a PRICE. Look around us. There are many Apple Iphone 3Gs around town but why is not being officially sold in Malaysia? I have no idea about it though. Look at the United Kingdom. They have the 3G version a month after it was launched in the United States, back in July 2008. I don't understand why it has taken so long for it to arrive in Malaysia.

Even though the mighty phone is arriving officially in Malaysia, it is not cheap. Customers who wish to get the Iphone 3G 8GB would have to buy the phone outright from Apple stores or Maxis stores for RM1,510. Besides that, customers will have to pay RM100 a month on a 24 months contract. Wow! That is crazy! If customers do not want to pay for the phone, they would have to go on a RM375 a month for 24 months. That is insane! Well, I am not going to talk about the 16GB version. It will cost around RM1,890 or a mere RM260 under different price plan.

If you take an Apple Iphone 3G 8GB for RM100 a month for 24 months, you will get 333 minutes of free calls with 500MB of data. That is so crap! 333 minutes with just 500MB a month? O2 in the UK is offering unlimited data with 75 minutes of free minutes and 125 free text messages. I think the unlimited data access is very attractive for O2 UK but unfortunately, not for Maxis though.

Think about it Malaysians. For a total price of around RM4000 after the two years contract (for the 8GB version), I would think buying the phone outright now for RM2200 is much better...Think about it...