Maxis to unveil long-awaited Apple iPhone soon

PETALING JAYA: It is finally here! Consumers who have been hoping to get an Apple Inc’s iPhone can finally get their hands on it after almost a two-year wait.

Maxis Communications Bhd is set to capture a bigger slice of the already competitive mobile market with its latest offering.

Maxis will be introducing the iconic iPhone on March 20 at a ceremony in KL Convention Centre.

“We are very pleased to launch iPhone 3G in Malaysia as many of our mobile users have been eagerly anticipating this revolutionary phone.

“They will enjoy the many embedded and downloadable applications from the first time they use iPhone 3G,” chief executive officer Sandip Das said in a statement yesterday.

Maxis, which had invested close to RM1.6bil into its network this year, would continue with a comprehensive upgrade and expansion programme that would further enhance its coverage and performance, including the high-speed 3G data network, he said.

Although the announcement created some buzz in the market, some analysts were not too excited with Maxis’s latest offering.

They said they would adopt a wait-and-see stance, noting that the bundled voice and data service offered by Maxis was the first of its kind in Malaysia.

“I am not sure how well consumers can accept this, as Malaysian mobile service providers do not have the practice of selling phones along with their packages,” an analyst said.

He added that the product and service were “a little too late” as it had been delayed for some time.

He said hardcore fans who had wanted an iPhone would probably be using one already.

An industry player said there were rumours that Apple was currently developing a 32GB iPhone.

He said a beefed-up 32GB iPhone was being touted for launch June this year. Apart from that, Apple could also be launching iPhone Nano.

“Some said Apple will launch three new iPhones this year. But rumours always seem to churn (out) when it comes to Apple products. We will just have to wait and see,” he said.

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