by Lachlan

It has become clear that Australians and other people from around the world who are interested in the iPhone are unsure about and have a lot of questions about the new Australian iPhone 3G. Due to the amount of questions being asked on forums and social sites i have decided to do a post on FAQ concerning the Australian iPhone 3G (click for original article on my blog).

How long has the iPhone 3G been around for in Australia?

The iPhone 3G was initially released in Australia on July 11 2008 at various times in the morning (6am in some places). The iPhone 3G is the first version of the iPhone to be ‘officially’ sold in Australia.

How can you buy the iPhone 3G in Australia?

The iPhone 3G is available on plans from Optus, Telstra and Vodafone and can be bought outright (still locked to the network) from Optus and Vodafone (with Vodafone only at a few stores) on their prepaid services. I recently posted on the full iPhone 3G pricing details which compares all the ways of buying the iPhone 3G in Australia. Can you buy the iPhone 3G outright fully-unlocked and what does fully unlocked mean?A fully unlocked iPhone is an iPhone that will work on any network not just the network you bought it from (because there is no locking, restricting the phones use). You cannot buy the iPhone 3G outright and fully unlocked from any telco (or even Apple) in Australia at the moment. However because you can buy the iPhone 3G outright from optus (with locking to their network) there is a way to get the iPhone unlocked. The ONLY WAY to get a FULLY UNLOCKED IPHONE at the moment is to buy the iPhone from Optus on prepaid (see iPhone 3G pricing details post for prepaid pricing) and pay $80 to Optus to allow the network locking to be turned off and give you the choice of using your IPHONE 3G ON ANY NETWORK IN AUSTRALIA!

How much does the iPhone cost?

The iPhone in Australia is available on a wide range of plans which allow flexibility between contract length, upfront payment and call/data allowance (data is very important with iPhone) while also being available from Optus and Vodafone (Optus is a lot cheaper) on prepaid. See my iPhone 3G pricing details post for pricing details on every plan/prepaid offer run by any of the three networks currently offering the iPhone in Australia.

What is the cheapest way to get the Australian iPhone 3G?

The cheapest plan when you initially buy the iPhone at the moment is the Optus $79 cap plan ($0 upfront for the 8GB model on a 24 month contract). Although most people would agree that this is still quite expensive for a phone!

Is the iPhone 3G in Australia likely to become cheaper?

The iPhone in Australia is likely to hover at around the same current price for at least the next few months but as with most technology it would be expected that the price would have dropped by at least 30% by Christmas this year.

How does the iPhone 3G access the Internet?

The iPhone 3G can access the Internet by using inbuilt wi-fi which enables it to access the Internet from a home network or through the use of public wi-fi areas (e.g. in cafes/airports) via a wireless router. This type of access (wi-fi access) is FREE unless you have to pay to use a public router connection.

However unless your iPhone is always within range of a router you will NOT HAVE ACCESS TO THE INTERNET. In the past your only option would have been to drop back onto slow dial up speeds from your iPhone because it didn’t support 3G but the latest iPhone 3G allows you to access the 3G network which gives you access to the Internet at fast broadband speeds in most capital cities. This type of connection (a 3G connection) DOES COST MONEY though and is why most people who take up an iPhone will be shocked to see a massive first bill because of excess data use.

How much data do you need when using the iPhone?

Most of the iPhone pricing packages include extra data compared to plans with other phones but how much do you really need? To avoid getting a MASSIVE bill here is a rough outline of how far your data will go:

10MB-iPhone will use this much without you clicking a button to do with the Internet-more!!!50MB-Very occasional emailing/web browsing as well as perhaps 1 music download. 100MB-Visit around 50 sites, send around 100 emails and even download a couple of songs and wallpaper. 200MB-Allow you to frequently use the Internet for browsing, a good amount of emailing and even download a few songs and wallpaper. 500MB-Allow you to use the iPhone frequently for a range of things for quite a bit of time as long as you don’t watch/download too many videos or use it every second of the day. 1GB and over-Anything over 1GB would allow you to pretty much have unlimited access to do as much as you could on the iPhone 3G for a couple of hours a day.

How much memory does the iPhone 3G have?

The iPhone 3G comes in two models at the moment in Australia; 8GB and 16GB. In the near future it appears likely that a 32GB iPhone 3G will become available.

What is the difference between the original iPhone and the latest iPhone 3G?

The new iPhone 3G has several software updates making it easier to use; in terms of hardware a faster processor, longer lasting battery and obviously (hence the name) the ability to have access to the 3G network.

What is the difference between the iPhone 3G and the iPod Touch?

The iPhone has a cell phone, Camera, iPod, touch screen and wi-fi access while the iPod Touch is just an iPod with a touch screen and wi-fi.

How good is the iPhone 3G/What separates it from other phones?

Apart from the Apple branding it is generally a well built phone; (although it is lacking a few features) with great screen navigation (and GPS navigation), easy emailing, standard iPod, 2MP camera, fantastic Internet access and great ease of use.

Why is the iPhone 3G so much cheaper in America compared to other countries?

Apple is selling the iPhone to telecommunications companies for much more in countries outside the US and telcos are also marking the price up over here to simply make more money! Although the price should come down soon.

Is the Apple iPhone 3G good for business users?

Yes, it is very easy to use and features amazingly simple at:

-Emailing (including setup) -Calander integration -Networking

If you have any other questions that you want answered i would be happy to add to this Australian iPhone 3G FAQ list. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO POST A COMMENT WITH YOUR REQUEST. For further iPhone information for Australians or for those in other countries who are interested feel free to check out the other Australian iPhone 3G related pages in my blog. Happy iPhone-ing! Cheers, Lachlan.

About the author: An emerging blogger who loves to learn!