Published August 23, 2008

iPhone, therefore I queue

By WINSTON CHAI
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(SINGAPORE) Singapore may have missed out on its second piece of table tennis silverware in the Olympics but Singaporeans still appear to be going for the gold when it comes to demonstrating their passion for cutting-edge gizmos.

The iPhone fan club: SingTel hired nearly a hundred temporary deckhands to cope with the hundreds of eager buyers that queued up for the iPhone 3G

Matching the fervour of their overseas counterparts, over a thousand consumers braved the searing heat and the snaking queues for the unofficial honour of becoming the first lot to bite into the iPhone 3G, the fastest-selling handset in Singapore history.

The coveted touch-screen phone from Apple officially made its local debut through Singapore Telecommunications at around 12.03am yesterday, accompanied by a small fireworks display and the cheer of a human line which started forming 12 hours earlier.

At 5pm yesterday afternoon, hundreds of eager buyers were still queuing at SingTel's Comcentre headquarters, chalking up an average waiting time of nearly three hours before they got their hands on the prized device.

The operator hired nearly a hundred temporary deckhands to cope with the human traffic and sales staff that were involved in the event were made to sign non-disclosure agreements to prevent the leakage of pricing details before the launch.

'Consumers in Singapore are very fashion-conscious and there is a very strong desire to be seen with the latest gadgets or fashion accessories. To this end, Apple has to be credited with transforming a communications device into a sleek fashion statement,' noted Foong King-Yew, research director for communications at analyst firm Gartner Inc.

'Alternative touch-screen devices are available, but the Apple device brings with it an additional dimension in terms of making a public statement with it,' he added.

Singapore is part of the second wave of 20 countries that welcomed the second-generation iPhone yesterday. The souped-up handset, which supports third-generation cellular networks and additional features such as satellite positioning, made its debut in 21 countries last month.

Unlike the shortage faced by operators in the early launch markets, SingTel appears to have an ample supply of iPhones for Singaporeans who are willing to wait in line.

The telco would not disclose the number of pre-orders it has received but BT understands that as many as 50,000 registrations could have been submitted since SingTel's iPhone website went 'live' in June. The company had previously said it will be able to 'meet the demand' from local consumers.

As testament to this claim, buyers are even allowed to buy two to three iPhones at one go. However, each unit is tied to a two-year SingTel contract and its eventual price tag ranges from $0 to as much as $848, depending on the subscription plan a user opts for.

The iPhone will continue to go on sale at the Comcentre until Sunday, after which pre-registered consumers will be able to buy the phone from SingTel's Hello! outlets across the island. Singapore's largest telco will get to sell the iPhone exclusively for the next three months at least, with rivals M1 and StarHub being expected to join in by the end of this year.

'When the first iPhone was released, Apple did not flood the market with it, rather it controlled the distribution and availability. Scarcity and exclusivity together makes for a very potent combination,' Mr Foong stressed.