ADV: The iPhone Has Landed

It is here.
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The Apple iPhone has finally landed in Malaysia. None of those grey market parallel imported bullshit that comes with no warranty. This is the real deal.
In the wise words of Apple mascot CEO Steve Jobs, “It’s a phone! It’s an iPod! It’s an internet communicator device!”
All hail the king of phones.
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Don’t they know how long we’ve been waiting for this in Malaysia? I must have waited for like 358 years after 900 countries have all released it. Okay, maybe not 358 years, but certainly it felt that long. It’s ridiculous.
When Steve Jobs made the announcement that the second generation iPhone will be available in 90 countries outside of the US, my friend Moorey, who runs an Apple shop in Kuching, was one of those waiting with bated breath.
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Then we found out that the iPhone was gonna be released in countries like South Africa, Kenya and Nicaragua… but not in Malaysia. How freaking ridiculous is that? It’s like every other countries are in the FUTURE and we are still stuck in the past? Can you imagine like a Zulu warrior in Kenya, holding a spear, trying to hunt down an African tiger while talking on his iPhone?
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So it’s a year late but Maxis just announced their partnership with Apple to launch tthe iPhone 3G in Malaysia this Friday.
Anyone who have used the iPhone will tell you it is a freaking awesome phone. They just can’t stop showing off their phone any opportunities that they got. I’ve used a borrowed first generation iPhone before and was amazed by how much Apple engineers managed to stuff into that little thing. It’s like me on the buffet table during Chinese New Year. Just stuff and stuff everything inside me until I can’t take it anymore.
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With confirmed reports that Apple will release version 3.0 of their iPhone software in a few days time, who knows what other features are on the cards? But like most Malaysians, the thing that concerned me the most was the price.
Maxis offers RM2,160 upfront for the iPhone plus a 12-month RM155 contract which includes warranty, generous free talk time and data usage.
Yes I know it’s dear, but not as prohibitive as many thought it would be. My current phone bills hovers around RM200 a month, so committing to RM150 a month is still ok lah. Immediately, I plonked down my order.
20090312-10.jpg I spent almost RM 3K on my Nokia N95 2 years ago, so I’m quite happy with RM 2K for a touch screen phone from the future.
But of course, there are gonna be some people reading this who’s gonna think “Wah! Have to take off my pants around Chow Kit only then can afford!” If you are one of those people, don’t worry.
Apple have also released a brand new product for the budget-conscious ones like you.
It’s called… the Apple tPhone.
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Works just as good I heard.


The Irish and the English have a love-hate relationship much like the Malaysians and Singaporeans. The Irishman taxi driver who sent me to the airport said it best.
Irishman Taxi Driver: “You like Ireland?”
Kenny: “Yea I love Ireland. I find people here friendlier here than in England.”
Irishman Taxi Driver: “Yea, f*ckin’ tell me about it. You walk into a pub in Dublin, have three pints of Guinness and everyone becomes your friend. You walk into a pub in London, have three pints of beer and they all wanna f*ckin’ fight ya! F*ckin’ hell. ‘Where you from? Ireland? Well, F*CK OFF!’ Jezus bloody f*ckin’ hell, those English people.”

109 Replies to “ADV: The iPhone Has Landed”

  1. RM9,000 ridiculous?
    At my current rate of around 200 bucks a month, 24 months later I am already paying close to 5K for calls.
    Lump in my data charge, of 99 a month, around 2.4K
    Thats totalling more than 7.4K and NO PHONE.
    Now at 9K I am getting an IPhone + Calls + Data? making it approx RM1.6K for the IPhone.
    No good deal?? hmm I beg to differ…

  2. Nice Iphone! I really wish to have it. Anyway, I’m on a shortlisted to win another touch screen phone now.
    Please vote for me if you think my photo is cute. Thanks
    Just click at my name to view and vote.
    Seems like you can win some cash prizes by voting too.

  3. i think malaysia is rather a bit slow in pushing technologies…. the 3G iphone had actually launched quite a few months back in uk… do hope that malaysia could be more uptodate with the trends and stuff..
    but nevertheless, malaysia is still recruiting new tech for the nation… so cheers to maxis…

  4. That blog post was 100% pure awesome. I love how you listed it as an ADV at first too so I was expecting it to be an advertorial, but then had a great surprise ending. Bravo!

  5. launched!!
    hmm.. still consider cheaper than buying it in the uk..
    can’t wait its 3rd version
    i hope only 1 improvement – which is the video calling!! …

  6. omg why does it cost so much? i thought france was expensive for electronics… but this is just ridiculous?

  7. Woots , its freaking expensive for a student like me , but my friend bought it in England for only RM2000 , Maxis is abit over with the price.

  8. maxis should be more generous…
    at 40% margin on 5 containers order the iphone is less than USD 80/= ex-factory.
    you counts the margin…

  9. This phone main plus-points are the applications/games, where some are free, some have to pay. It do really keeps you entertained.
    But this phone have lots of flaws – sms are stored in a long-string of msgs under individual name.
    Can’t forward any sms at all.
    No bluetooth (phone to phone)
    Storage of contacts – unable to choose to SIM card, only to phone.
    Deleting options of contacts – one by one.
    etc etc etc.
    Yah, I am selling my iphone.
    Interested, drop me a mail.

  10. i think it’s highly overrated or more accurately overpriced. I have an Ipod Touch 2g and dammit, i’ll be lying to you if i said that it isn’t what i want or it isn’t one of those “funnest” things in tech life but still, the price is just too steep plus with a price like that you could get a better more reliable phones out there.
    The update if i assume right, would include a flash player upgrade( no, there was no flash player before this)but that depends on Apple and Adobe although they are having talks about it.
    Let me tell you, the worst thing is, it’s not sim-card operatable. That is what grips me over the phone.
    I still see the iphone as an ipod just with SMS/Call abilities otherwise it’s not worth it. While Safari is a good web browser, there is no other alternatives like say Opera mini (which renders websites way faster due to some server rendering technical bable) because Apple just couldnt handle the competition like some ppl we know (sarawak understands).
    So i suggest to you to get another phone like say a N96 or some new off the assembly line sony walkman/mind-reader phone for a lesser price but almost the same features just without the multi-touch function.
    Better than paying that much for a phone you will get tired of in a few months…yes, i’ve used an iphone before too.. unless we get it at a better price tag say RM2000 like the one stated above i dont think you should waste your money but hey, it’s your money so have fun if you can with the iphone.

  11. nokia n97 is coming with touch screen function, purported to knock down iphone easily. mayb u should wait a while before decided to place ur order on iphone. i spent 3.6k on n95 8g 1 year ago, thanks to the iphone which was not available at that time on malaysia. now im not gonna give that iplonker chance, just wait for the real king of phones to come – n97.

  12. Apple’ll probably announce a new Iphone in June/July. Maybe finally they’ll include MMS officially. LOL!

  13. pity. there’s talk of the 3rd gen iphone being just around the corner.
    but then, malaysians would just have to settle for the 2nd gen for about 900 more years because that won’t be released anytime soon in malaysia.

  14. apart from aesthetics, i don’t see any other reason to settle for an iPhone unless they give it to you free on a 24-month contract or something.

  15. Hi to all,
    There is nothing cool about this phone.
    trust me, you going to regret after few months.Nothing new in phone industry this days.
    Touch screen and shake can easily get it in Nokia ,sonyericssion and china phones.
    You r not going 24hrs online in the net.or better get a notebook.
    Maxis and iphone just come in at the wrong time nobody fancies these gadgets anymore……….
    Is is not easy to use anyway,even making a call and u have touch the precised number on the screen.
    Dont waste yo money on AIRTIME and GADGET ,YOU GOING TO REGRET LATER

  16. Welsh Irish, Scottish, > English. The English are probably too arrogant and proud of themselves.
    In fact, Welsh are the most friendliest among all.
    Please update about your trip to Old Trafford or more about your stay in UK. Can’t wait!

  17. its really much cheaper outside of msia though. my fren’s paying like 12 AUD dollars a month for 2 yrs on top of his fixed phone bill at 49 a month. which makes it like 288 for the phone. i’m guessing if u want the iPhone for all its other functions, u shud get iTouch. Has everything except the phone function and his much cheaper.

  18. Lets try a simple comparison between Nokia N97 and the Apple iPhone 3G
    Both are touch screen devices.
    The devices are similar in volume, although the Nokia N97 is thicker by a few mm and slides open to slightly more than double the thickness of the Apple iPhone 3G.
    The Nokia N97 is slightly heavier, with the 133g Apple iPhone 3G coming up against the 150g of the Nokia N97
    Both devices are quad-band units, capable of operating on the GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 bands. There is a slight difference with the 3G Bands as the iPhone uses the HSDPA 850 / 1900 / 2100 while the N97 uses the WCDMA 900 / 1900 /2100 bands.
    The screens are a similar 3.5 inch in size, but the Nokia N97 has higher resolution of 640 x 360 pixels, while the Apple iPhone has a 320 x 480 pixel display.
    The Nokia N97 has a full keyboard that slides out from under the screen whereas the Apple iPhone has a virtual keyboard that can be made to display on screen.
    Internals The Apple iPhone 3G runs the Mac X operating system while the Nokia N97 runs the Symbian v9.4 operating system. The Nokia N97 supports Java but the Apple iPhone 3G does not. The other thing to note is that the Nokia N97 supports MMS but the Apple iPhone 3G does not
    The Nokia N97 has an internal capacity of 32 GB which is double that of the iPhone’s 16 GB version. The other iPhone is the 8 GB version.
    Both devices support Bluetooth but not infrared. EDGE, 3G and GPRS is supported and both devices are compatible with Wi-Fi 802.11b/g networks.
    Both devices have built-in GPS receivers but the Apple iPhone 3G uses a Google Map application while the Nokia N97 uses its own Nokia Maps 2.0 application.
    Camera/Radio The Nokia N97 wins out here with a 5 megapixel camera while the Apple iPhone 3G is still on a 2 megapixel camera. Both devices are capable of video recording and playback but only the Nokia N97 has a flash and the auto-focus feature, neither of which is present on the iPhone.
    The Nokia N97 has a built-in radio feature which the Apple iPhone 3G lacks
    Battery/Price The Nokia N97 is slated to have an 1500 mAh battery but there was no information on the battery of the Apple iPhone 3G.
    So, what you think?

  19. Many people regret after a couple of month on iPhone. One of the main weakness is the poor battery time.
    iPhone is like a pretty chick who is good to look at, but empty inside.

  20. i feel betrayed man, how could u kenny, zulu are bloody south africans, in kenya u go to a park, u ask for a drink to a masai, they will go spear an elephant and give u elephant blood to drink, generous ppl they are, in south africa, u go to a park ask the zulu ppl for a drink they will fucking spear u and make u drink ur own fucking blood (just like irish and english).
    Zulu are not found in Kenya!!!!!! Masai are!!!

  21. lemme see …..
    iPhone or the nokia N97 ?
    iMac or lenovo ?
    iTunes or Sony mp3 ?
    if u wanna show off … then the iPhone would be an ideal solution.
    if u wanna be practical and save $$$ … non apple products would make our bank account happier . LOL .
    bringing this iPhone around town would just simply increase the crime rate in malaysia . ppl would rob you . hahaha … someone , please agree with me.

  22. aiyoyo … why iPhone?!! go for NOKIA 5800 lar!!!! hahahaha
    I’m very happy with my darling NOKIA 5800 now!!! =) =) =)

  23. iphone in australia is available with
    NO upfront payment,
    and AUD49.00 permonth for 24 months..
    still cheaper than Malaysia’s Iphone even AFTER rate conversion.
    aiz

  24. Those Iphone that imported is bullshit huh?
    It is imported bcoz of ass holes like u keep on wan those new fancy thing. of course no warranty lar. but the warranty is still valid in US!!! S0hai kenny!
    anyway, for this maxis iphone, i think it is locked. unless u unlock it to use digi(obviously the bill is much more cheaper than maxis). or else u really a s0hai!

  25. This package will be a disadvantage for users who spent less than RM 150 bill a month. Considering, you’re an average spender of RM 100, you have to fork out extra RM 50 for 2 years of commitment. So count the maths. Besides that, this promotion will definitely bring up more maxis users from digi loyal users. This is a good package, get phone and deal.

  26. agreed with coolcoolbird, all hail nokia N97~ haha.
    not just the spects are greater, but the price could be cheaper(AP) compared with u sign plan with maxis and pay “instalment” for your iphone RM4000+ in total.

  27. Let’s wait for few more weeks, and then kenny should have another post telling the story why he throws away the iPhone… that should be another fun post to read.

  28. iPhone’s not bad at all, if you can excuse the rubbish camera..
    When I first got it, the UI just blew my mind.. It’s unbelievable how smooth n fluid the interface is.
    Maxis is a bit late with this. But well it’s better than none..
    Price’s a bit steep though… Wonder if these are unlocked phones or those carrier bound ones…

  29. price will be mark up because of demand > supply.
    rush in to buy now is unwise.
    wait for a bit longer and one will get a better bargain, unless of course, ur trade requires iphone BADLY…

  30. My uncle has a tPhone, a china rip-off – Looks like, sounds like, but it is not. Not to mention the part where china rip-offs can blow up in your pants.
    WE ARE NOT IN SINGAPORE, WE ARE NOT IN AUSTRALIA, you can go there to buy it IF you want.
    With the amount of savings from my plane ticket, I will buy the Iphone..

  31. Finally Iphone 3G coming to Malaysia! Iphone 3g is great especially all those free Apps from the App Store and with Jailbreak Program you have unlimited program out there. Hopefully crazy new stuff will include when Apple introduce Iphone 3.0 software on tuesday. Now using Iphone 3G, and G1 phone. So far, Iphone way better. Next phone on my list is Palm Pre.

  32. Well I have a HTC Dream – aka rebranded as T-Mobile G1 – aka the Googlephone. It has a touch screen too but also has a slide-out keyboard for faster typing. I really really like having fast access to Gmail, Calendar, Maps, and all the other Google apps. Not having had a chance to play with the iPhone much I can’t say how the touchscreen interfaces compare, but I imagine Apple’s is probably better.
    Some comments on buying electronics:
    Nice thing about being in Malaysia: unbranded stuff is super cheap (and can also be pretty good quality) but branded stuff is super ex.
    Nice thing about being in the US: branded stuff is a bit cheaper (relative to general cost of living) and if you’re patient and don’t care about being an “early adopter” you can get second-hand stuff a few months after it’s released, because confirm some of the early adopters will get sick of their new toys and sell on eBay.
    I got my G1 for cheap because the glass was cracked (touchscreen works though). Planning to get it fixed when I go home to M’sia later this year. Americans really don’t know how to repair things any more. If something is broken they just throw it. I think it’s a sign that the superpower is degenerating…

  33. LOL, tPhone!!
    iPhone = Old
    Over the hype already here in Aus. Why can’t we have shops like Zara and Topshop here? 🙁 …M’asia can have the iPhone!

  34. Honestly, for working purposes, I think tactile buttons will always be more efficient than touchscreen buttons.
    When you get your iphone, try typing a message with your fingers (which are probably as big, or as fat, as mine).
    The thing about iphone is that they have a capacitive touchscreen that reacts to the charges on your fingers and though this is newer technology and has various benefits like having better transmission, apple’s act of cramping the virtual keyboard buttons together makes it hard to type without the help of your finger nails (which don’t work on the screen).
    Lack of tactile buttons makes it harder for you to make calls while on the move. This is because you have to keep switching your view between your iphone and the way you’re walking as you can’t feel the buttons.
    And it has a relatively simple user interface, which doesn’t incorporate as much hidden shortcuts as standard business phones, which is good for those going for entertainment and bad for those going for efficiency.
    Based on my experience with the iphone, i’d say it’s more of an entertainment phone rather than a business phone. So if you’re thinking of working with it, it’ll help a bit but won’t help AS MUCH.
    Then again, if you ask me about how entertaining it is, well, value for money? fail. Sound quality? Miserable failure. Other than that, epic win.

  35. Those who are true iphone fans will definitely get their hands on it on the best price possible. I’d say give it some time for maxis to adjust. I’m sure that they are testing the market before making it affordable. Soon, it shall be cheaper (: that means you gotta hv patience. Get an ipodtouch while waiting (: Super worth every cent. Got my 32gb at 1.2k (:

  36. I think it sort of chose the wrong timing to land now. Recession period. To most people, high chances would just to get any phone would do ler. Possibly, getting a new phone also have to think twice or thrice. Whether i or no i also doesn’t matter ^^

  37. Kenny,
    Not criticising, but i remember reading one of your post close to new year. Saying something like the blog has gone a long way and has evolve from something personal to a public thing.
    Cant remember exact details, but if am not wrong, i remember you saying your resolution is to bring the “personal touch” back to the blog.
    Just a reminder, coz seems that most of the recent blog posts are advertisements (which i am not against)
    Thanks.

  38. I used to have iPhone before this, I bought it for USD199 and under 12 months contract with AT&T for USD59 per month.
    The button is too kecik for me to handle and after 2 months of usage, I sold it off to my friend. It is just not for us that have big fingers Kenny.

  39. This is the biggest rip-off that I have ever seen!
    WTF man…. it is just ridiculuos that Maxis is still in business

  40. I was really interested to get one and i thought the deal was not bad considering i do spend Rm100 to RM150 on my bill every month. Till i found out the following:
    1. The monthly commitment is divided into RM50 for voice and RM50 for data( referring to the cheapest package of RM100 per mth). This commitment excludes ANY sms charges.
    2. Say my current bill on voice is RM90 and RM50 on sms. I need to top up another RM 40 (RM90 deduct the monthly compulsory RM50 voice usage) and another RM50 for smses. So in total, i will be paying RM 100 + 40 + 50 = RM 190!
    3. Dont think that “oh, my monthly bill is RM150 anyway, i might as well get an iPhone”. you definitely will exceed your monthly commitment by alot more. Unless you are ready to pay for that, iPhone is not your choice.
    I am dissapointed with how Maxis has structured this plan. Its a shame that Maxis is using iPhone to maximize returns, instead of using it as the best strategy to get users to switch networks.

  41. iPhone 3.0 software debuted today,…. bluetooth AD2P, MMS, plus other features,…
    Being using 1 since July 08. I must say,… I can’t live without it. The app is just magnificent. I can stream internet radio from all around the world for free (FStream), name a song that I do not know (Shazam), know where police hide when I drive (trapster) and direct long distance access number with just 1 click (Phonecard).
    Bought a MacBook Pro last week,… I just enter my Mobile Me info, and BOOM!….. all my calendar, contact, email, website favourites is sync real time, right away!
    I know Apple road map will have a new iPhone summer every year. So,… i expect a 3rd generation iPhone this summer.
    But I’m surprised it took so long to get into Msia.

  42. geez, by the time you whip out the Iphone on the streets, most would’ve seen it from somewhere.
    the relentless wait has become NOT funny lah … M’sia sure has it WAY slower than the rest.

  43. the phone is a head-turner. that’s all there is to the iPhone. the hoo-ha about this gadget has since died down because it took too long to land here.

  44. haha..i boughy the iphone 3g 16gb 4 months ago at HK with fully unlock by apple just with rm2700.y i need to sign up a contract with maxis?haha……

  45. Buy a LG Renoir is better, got a 8mp camera that can beat down a standalone digital camera. Not to mention cheaper,come with a 8 gb memory card and can support up to 16 gb.
    I love my LG Renoir ~~!

  46. Using iPod touch 2nd gen to post this comment now.. iPhone is great, but still alots of limitation if compare to windows mobile, but it’s totally different things… If you wan a nice productive phone, maybe should go for a pda phone but not iPhone. Just get a iPod touch and try it on then you will know it’s just like that only,.. Nothing much… Althose I can say it’s nicely build, but you will get bored very soon…

  47. my fellow kuching kia
    there are also no tigers in africa lah…the only big cat is the lion, followed by leopard.
    other kinds of “pussy” available, but not on this forum.

  48. Since you’ve been waiting so long for the iPhone… enjoy your iPhone! 🙂
    Just sold mine three months ago. Got the iPod Touch 2G 32GB. 16GB is abit too small for me.
    Which makes me wonder though… What will happen with your HTC Touch Diamond?

  49. Ouh… if you need productivity software with your iPhone, get Pocket Informant (they have this for WM too).

  50. In case you hadn’t noticed, Maxis also offers a long term contract (24 months), but its nowhere near the same price point as most other countries (maybe all other countries) in the world.
    Saying phones in Australia are always cheaper, shows misinformation, as well.

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  52. I don’t have anything to add to all the good reviews of the features of the phone, they are spot on. But GPS is a mess.I was worried about GPS so I did some testing over at my local sprint store with the person there who gets assigned a phone early.

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