Potential owner..

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Arsh

34 posts

Geek

#21532 29-Apr-2008 21:57

Hi

I'm looking into buying an iPhone for myself. I have been impressed with Mac products for a long time, although I haven't owned anything from Mac yet. Being a uni student, price tags have usually turned me off. iPhone finally looks like something worth putting your savings into. I read all the features few days ago and was very impressed so I have been researching since then. Features are obviously very impressive but I was wondering what problems I could run into while trying to run it in NZ with a Vodafone sim card. I went to Vodafone, they said I will need their Data Plan (for that I will have to switch from prepay to contract first, which means a huge bill) to access the internet so that kind of puts me off a bit. However that is not a major problem because locations (home and university) I spend most of time at have wireless access.

What do you think are some very basic things I need to know as a potential iPhone owner in New Zealand?? I might buy directly from Apple US or maybe, Zillion in New Zealand. What is the difference between buying from US and NZ besides the price tag??

Please don't assume that I will know something very basic. If its on your mind, please post it!!

Thanks a lot

marmel

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#127180 29-Apr-2008 22:07

Hi

You don't need a data plan. Just be aware that the iphone has services which update themselves on a regular basis like weather, stock results etc. This can quickly eat away your $$, especially at the vodafone casual data rate! However, you can easily turn GPSR off using free programs, there are a few threads about this already.

You will probably get the iphone cheaper if you buy from the US but you won't have any warranty. Some NZ retailers will sell the iphone at $799 with a 1 year warranty.

Also keep in mind that the 3G iphone is expected to be released in a matter of months so you may want to wait for this. Prices on second hand 1st gen iphones will also drop so you would be able to pick one up alot cheaper.

Arsh

34 posts

Geek

#127183 29-Apr-2008 22:14

marmel: Hi

You don't need a data plan. Just be aware that the iphone has services which update themselves on a regular basis like weather, stock results etc. This can quickly eat away your $$, especially at the vodafone casual data rate! However, you can easily turn GPSR off using free programs, there are a few threads about this already.

You will probably get the iphone cheaper if you buy from the US but you won't have any warranty. Some NZ retailers will sell the iphone at $799 with a 1 year warranty.

Also keep in mind that the 3G iphone is expected to be released in a matter of months so you may want to wait for this. Prices on second hand 1st gen iphones will also drop so you would be able to pick one up alot cheaper.

Thanks for the awesome information. Appreciate a lot!

brentbart

137 posts

Master Geek
Inactive user

#127185 29-Apr-2008 22:18

Also keep in mind that the 3G iphone is expected to be released in a matter of months so you may want to wait for this. Prices on second hand 1st gen iphones will also drop so you would be able to pick one up alot cheaper.

I read in the Herald (I think) that stocks of iphones were running low which is meant to be a "indication" that the factories have re-tooled to produce 3G devices for Japan. Granted ... to me it sounded like maybe they were just more popular

marmel

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#127187 29-Apr-2008 22:24

Whichever version you get you will love it. The UI is brilliant, so easy to use. I've also owned an OKTA touch and it doesn't have a bar on the iphone for user friendliness. The iphone doesn't have the features that the touch has but if you don't need a PDA as such go for a iphone.

Arsh

34 posts

Geek

#127190 29-Apr-2008 22:36

Thanks a lot, everyone. I know this is a weird/funny question, but can iphone somehow read .doc/,pdf files?

marmel

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#127193 29-Apr-2008 22:40

Yes it can read both. You may have to install an extra program to read the .doc file though.

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Arsh

34 posts

Geek

#127199 29-Apr-2008 23:01

marmel: Yes it can read both. You may have to install an extra program to read the .doc file though.

Awesome. That takes care of the ruffled notes I have with me all the time :)

Could you please also shed some light on the "unlocking" topic that seems to be around everywhere. When I get it, will it work with my sim straight out of the box or would I need to unlock it? What are the costs related to that?

I really appreciate your help. Thanks!

marmel

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#127201 29-Apr-2008 23:07

Unlocking these days is very simple, quick and free.

Have a look here, great site and a few options to customise your iphone for NZ.

http://www.kiwi-ise.co.nz/