New iPhone 3GS has landed in
Singapore
The wait is over for fans of the Apple iPhone.
The new and improved iPhone 3GS has been released in
Singapore.
And some fans were so eager to get their hands on the new
handset, they queued eleven hours for it.
Jeremy Koh tells us more.
No, it's not Hello Kitty.
And no, it's not Singapore Idol.
The hundreds of people outside the SingTel Comcentre were
queueing to get their hands on the new iPhone 3GS.
And among them is 29-year-old Jackson Low, who started queueing
at 9am.
That's a full eleven hours before he finally got his hands on
the handset.
"I took a day leave to come down today. I feel that i want to
upgrade my phone and i want to get the best first, so i get up
earlier this year."
Second in line was 20-year-old Kenberlyn Chen.
To pass the time, she chatted with the others in line.
And they got on so well that they've made plans to stay in
touch.
"We in fact took turns to go for lunch and took breaks. We're
actually forming a group on facebook so we can stay connected and
discuss the features of the phone."
Others were in the queue for, well, more romantic reasons.
"I'm queuing for my fiance, i'm being a good person for her,
helping her. I know she'll appreciate it, she might even buy me
dinner."
Singtel, which is the handset's exclusive local distributor,
said that despite the downbeat economy, it expects the new iPhone
3GS to be a hot seller.
Yuen Kuan Moon is the telco's Executive Vice President of
Consumer Group.
"The initial response during the pre-ordering stage has given us
very encouraging results so we expect sales to be very good -
similar to last year if not better."
The telco was coy about its sales for the iPhone 3G, however,
only saying that it sold tens of thousands of units.
So why are Singaporeans so fascinated, even obsessed, with
getting the new iPhone?
Associate Professor Tan Soo Jiuan from the National University
of Singapore's Department of Marketing explains.
"I think in the Singapore context, especially in the context of
mobile phone, such as iPhones, not being a mere communication tool,
but more like a status symbol and also some form of personal gadget
kind of thing. And i think it's more to show off, like being the
first one to be able to hold on to something that's new, that
really helps to boost the personal ego."
--938Live