But nothing’s official and Apple has yet to name a service provider here
Paul Marck
Sun
Colm Over, Cellular FX owner (left), and Darcy Smith, the retailer’s marketing manager, show a selection of their cellphones. They are eagerly anticipating the release of the iPhone in Canada after its June 29 release in the U.S. Photograph by : John Lucas, CanWest News
EDMONTON – Gotta have Apple Inc.’s iPhone? Talk to Colm Over or Darcy Smith at Cellular FX & Repair in Edmonton.
No, they don’t have any of the most-talked-about-and-hyped gadgets since the ubiquitous iPod.
But they will be among the first with the newest tech toy, even though a Canadian launch date hasn’t been announced for iPhone.
The iPhone rockets into the U.S. market next Friday.
“I’m told mid-July, late July is when to expect them,” says Over, who sells “unlocked” cellphones that are not connected to specific networks or cell companies.
People buy unlocked GSM phones if they travel a lot or simply want the latest phones ahead of Rogers and Fido. As an independent retailer, Over usually gets new phones three months ahead of big-name carriers.
The iPhone has created such a buzz in the U.S. that even comedian Stephen Colbert has joked about his inability to get one ahead of everybody else, and a Craigslist ad has reportedly offered $10,000 to get an iPhone right now.
No Canadian service provider has been announced to carry iPhone. Internet blog sites are alive with buzz that Rogers is trying to get an iPhone deal, but Apple is too busy with next week’s U.S. kickoff to get anything going yet in Canada.
Rogers and Apple Canada are both mum on the subject of iPhone, which uses global GSM technology. Neither Telus nor Bell’s networks are GSM compatible.
Since the iPhone was introduced by Apple CEO Steve Jobs at March’s MacWorld convention, buzz has grown about the touch-screen phone that has no keypad and only a single button. It doubles as an iPod music player and Web device, with other leading features to put it into a category of its own.
People have been calling for months about iPhone’s availability in Edmonton, says Over.
“It’s getting to be crazy,” he says.
The July availability to take pre-sale orders is the best advice Over has heard so far.
Vicken Kanadjian, an electronics and cellphone wholesaler in Montreal, says he’s banking on a summer Canadian release for iPhone in Canada.
“You can’t expect the iPhone before the end of July, that’s what we hear,” says Kanadjian.
He says there won’t be much advance notice from Apple.
“Apple’s going to release it at the last second. They’re really in control of their marketing strategy.”
Kanadjian expects pre-orders will sell out the iPhone before they are even shipped.
“It will definitely be revolutionary. It’s highly anticipated. It will definitely rock the market.”
It is not likely that iPhone’s relatively high list price — $499 US south of the border — will deter those who want the latest phone bling.
“More kids than anybody are after expensive phones,” says Cellular FX’s Smith. “It’s a status symbol. It used to be what you drive or how new your car is. Now it’s your phone and electronics.”
Many analysts think Apple has a hit on its hands. Indeed, many believe it will change the cellphone industry and Apple permanently.
“This is the most anticipated telephone since Alexander Graham Bell’s,” Juniper Research analyst Michael Gartenberg told the San Jose Mercury News.
Bernard Courtois, president of the Information Technology Association of Canada, thinks Canada’s Research In Motion (RIM) Ltd. has a more revolutionary product in the telecom realm with its BlackBerry.
Touch screens and multi-functional phones are not new, he says.
© The Vancouver Sun 2007