Apple has officially announced that Malaysia will be one of more than a dozen countries to offer the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c starting November 1. The two new devices will also be available in Italy, Russia, Spain and more than 25 additional countries on Friday, October 25.
Malaysia has traditionally been a ‘Tier 3’ country in terms of Apple product availability, and while this time round things have not changed, it is a pleasant surprise that it is arriving earlier than expected. Malaysians may have Apple CEO Tim Cook, the renowned expert of efficiency and inventory, to thank for that. In previous years, iPhone launches in Malaysia were traditionally in the December timeframe.
Malaysians can rejoice for being ‘less third-rate’, alongside Albania, Armenia, Bahrain, Colombia, El Salvador, Guam, Guatemala, India, Macedonia, Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and UAE.
‘Second-tier’ countries that will get the iPhones on Friday, October 25 are Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, French West Indies, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Reunion Island, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan and Thailand.
Both iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c are currently available in the US, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore and the UK.
The new iPhones are already the fastest-selling iPhones in Apple history, pushing nine million units on its opening weekend, just three days after its launch on September 20. Apple calls the flagship iPhone 5s “forward-thinking”, with its Apple-designed A7 64-bit chip, innovative TouchID, LTE and all-new 8MP iSight camera with True Tone flash. The iPhone 5c is the colourful ‘unapologetically plastic’ iPhone, delivering outstanding value with signature Apple polish and user experience. Both iPhones feature the latest iOS 7 operating system.
There is no mention yet of the local telcos that will be carrying the iPhones on November 1, but it is widely expected to be the three big boys, spearheaded by Maxis, Celcom and DiGi.
No mention on pricing either, but we believe pricing will not detract from the iPhones previous pricepoints. Our own predicted pricing:
iPhone 5s
- 16GB – RM2,199
- 32GB – RM2,499
- 64GB – RM2,799
iPhone 5c
- 16GB – RM1,799
- 32GB – RM2,099
iPhone 4s (official)
- 16GB – RM1,499
Keep your eyes peeled, sneakers (for queuing up) and credit cards ready. Christmas comes early this year.
