Scott Forstall, of iPhone Software, introduces upgrade to OS 3.0 for Apple iPod Touch for $9.95, at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco, Monday. / AP-Yonhap |
By Kim Tong-hyung
Staff Reporter
Apple's annual developer conference is heavily circled on the calendars of virtually every global tech geek, panting for the company's next major announcement on hit products such as the iPhone and MacBook. For South Koreans, the event has also become a time for dead hopes and depression.
In a country that boasts itself as the wireless capital of the world, the absence of iPhone, only the hottest selling mobile phone in the planet, has been glaringly evident.
Korean mobile users had hoped Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) this year could end their perennial frustration, as the country lifted its software requirements for data-enabled handsets in April, which had effectively been a trade barrier for companies like Apple and Nokia.
SK Telecom and KT, the country's two biggest wireless operators, have also been in talks with Apple over a domestic iPhone debut, and some industry rumors had predicted a July release.
So legions of Korean gadget lovers found themselves logged-on through the wee hours of Tuesday morning to see whether South Korea becomes a part of Apple's renewed list of iPhone-available countries.
However, Tuesday proved yet another letdown, as Korea wasn't included in the 80 countries Apple plans to roll out its new iPhone in over the next two months.
``I guess I was awake all night for no reason. I was zapped of energy after seeing Korea missing from the countries appearing on the slide presentation,'' said Park Sung-ha, who watched the WWDC live from a coffee shop in Jongno, downtown Seoul.
``I guess there is still a possibility of an iPhone release here, as KT insists it is still in talks with Apple and WWDC still has about a week left in its schedule. But, it seems evident that we will need at least several more months before an iPhone release and the wait is getting tiresome.''
The WWDC generated excitement, although a surprise appearance by Apple chief executive Steve Jobs, who is currently on medical leave, never happened.
The biggest star of the WWDC was clearly iPhone 3GS, which boasts a number of upgrades from its predecessors, including a double capacity of 32 gigabytes, a digital compass for improved GPS navigation, and a 3-megapixel camera that supports video recording.
The ``S'' stands for speed, as the new iPhone is significantly faster than its predecessors in launching data features, according to Apple. The company also said it will drop the existing iPhone 3G prices to $99 in the United States.
However, none of this really mattered to Korean users, who were painfully reminded once again that, when it is about Apple, only a few of the slew of rumors prove to be correct. It won't be possible for iPhone to be released here at anytime before August, or more likely, by the end of the year considering network interoperability tests, industry sources said.
``We are continuing to talk with Apple, but we have yet to reach anything concrete,'' said an executive from KT, which is showing stronger interest in the iPhone than its industry rival, SK Telecom, the country's largest mobile-phone operator.
Korea retired its homemade standard specifications, dubbed as WIPI (wireless Internet platform for interoperability), for Internet-capable mobile phones in April, enabling local operators to source a wider range of foreign handsets.
However, the difficult talks between carriers and Apple over the sharing of data revenue and size of shipments are proving to be bigger obstacles than WIPI ever was.
And it bears further watching whether KT or SK Telecom decides to accept Apple's demands for a more opened wireless Internet environment, which would be a must for its App Store services, which allows users to share and download wireless applications developed for iPhone handsets.
Both KT and SK Telecom prefer their users to rely on their ``walled gardens'' of data services, and are separately pushing to develop their own App Store-like services.
thkim@koreatimes.co.kr
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