I have been tracking obsessively this news for about 2 years, because i thought this was really showing how bad Israel can be at importing new stuff here to consumers.
So we had to wait 3 OS versions to see the iPhone being finally distributed in Israel. Israel is one of the last developed country (maybe the last) to have a distributor for the masterpiece Phone of Apple - which is nearly already available anywhere. Why did it take so much time? Why did we have to wait after Malta, Mali, Senegal, Egypt, Jordan?
This could be anticipated because Apple said that the new OS 3.0 would include Hebrew as native language, saving users the need to hack the iPhone to install it.
The answer is simple: our dear operators could not find an agreement with Apple. But now both Pelephone and Orange will do the job. I am ready to bet that Cellcom will also distribute it in less than a year. Why is this only happening now? i have clue. i guess negotiations on rev share and localization was tough.
I assume that all the operators and Apple are not blind. They could see that Israelis did not really care to wait for an official channel to buy an iPhone. All those who really wanted one bought one already abroad or even in Israel (at a ridiculous price). Personnally each time i go to a conference or public place, i see iPhones everywhere. Isn't it too late already?
Now i have 4 simple key questions
- How expensive will the Promised phone be in the Promised land compared to markets where it can be bought open for 300 USD (like Italy and Turkey)? And will you be able to buy an iPhone without a subscription?
- How will operators solve the problem of Google Maps not being available in Israel (It is avail on the computer but on the iPhone)? Meaning how the GPS will be useful if maps are not here? [FYI i use Freemap.co.il which has a map version but which is available only in hacked mode]
- Will the Appstore and in General iTunes accept finally Israel as a country and enable Israeli citizen to buy with their own local adress without having to create a fake address abroad? Israel is NOT listed in the Apple store country list
- In Israel we are used to read and scroll books from left to right. the Iphone is built on the latin logic (scroll right to left). Will they enable that specially for albums and photos?
