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Apple CEO Steve Jobs | This is the first in a series of articles analyzing Apple’s decision to delay the introduction of the iPhone 4 and iPad in Korea. — ED.
By Kim Tong-hyung
Staff reporter
Apple has clearly been the favorite brand of Korean consumers since last November when it released its do-it-all smartphone, iPhone, here. However, it now seems that the public’s love affair with the American technology giant is turning sour as controversy persists over its latest gadget, the iPhone 4, and its postponed Korean debut.
KT, the local mobile-phone carrier providing the iPhones, had been firing up the iPhone 4 hype machine in the past month, saying that the device would be on local shelves by late July.
It now appears that the overzealous wireless operator may have jumped the gun on its promotional efforts, as Apple apparently isn’t ready to submit the iPhone 4 for government approval yet.
In a recent news conference held to quell the fuss about the faulty reception on iPhone 4, Apple chief executive Steve Jobs confirmed that the Korean release of the device would be delayed, citing problems with the regulatory procedure. The Korea Communications Commission (KCC), the country’s telecommunications regulator, says that Apple hasn’t presented the iPhone 4 for radio approval yet.
KT, which is now talking about a possible September release, is scurrying to assuage consumer concerns, but judging by the comments from the blogosphere, mobile users are becoming increasingly frustrated about the wireless operator’s timid and slow response to the problem as well as Apple’s prolonged silence.
Also beleaguered are the thousands of KT dealers nationwide, as many of them had attempted to exploit the massive hype and independently took preorders for iPhone 4. These dealerships are now enduring complaints from angry customers, and KT, which never authorized such marketing activities but didn’t do much to stop them either, doesn’t want to have anything to do with it.
“This whole situation is nonsense, and KT should have addressed this issue more quickly and honestly, considering that a massive number of mobile users have been sticking their necks out for the latest iPhone arrival,” said Yoo Soo-jin, a 33-year-old Seoul office worker who preordered an iPhone at a dealership near her home.
“So KT was basically promoting the iPhone 4 when it wasn’t even sure about the release date, and didn’t say anything before the Jobs news conference. They didn’t stop the dealers from taking preorders, so instead of getting the phones on July 30 like the rest of the world, people like me are stuck with our old phones for who knows how long.”
A manager from a KT dealer in Myeong-dong, central Seoul, said his shop took around 20 preorders for the iPhone 4, but is no longer aggressively persuading visitors to sign up.
“We took preorders because KT had announced the July release. Now, we are the ones who are busy apologizing,” he said.
“There shouldn’t be any reason for us to stop the persistent consumers who insist on signing onto a preorder list, but we are no longer asking them first. However, many dealerships are continuing to take preorders anyway, telling consumers that this still is the quickest way to get an iPhone 4.”
The dealerships don’t charge any sort of payment from customers who preorder, but frustration is growing nonetheless about the murky delivery date. A KT representative said the company wouldn’t be taking any responsibility for “unofficial” marketing activities.
“This whole thing is a repetition of the iPhone 3GS experience. The first mobile users to get the iPhone 4 will be those to sign up for our official preorders online,” he said.
KT has sold more than 800,000 iPhones here to touch off a smartphone boom that is now reviving what had been a muted mobile Internet market.
However, the carrier is also essentially a one-trick pony, as it continues to struggle to get handsets from other major vendors like Samsung Electronics, who are miffed about KT’s partnership with Apple.
A prolonged absence of iPhone 4 could deal a serious blow to KT, which lacks new handsets to compete with the slew of smartphones released by bitter industry rival, SK Telecom, which is enjoying soaring sales for its devices powered by Google’s Android operating system, including Samsung’s Galaxy S.
With the wait for the iPhone 4 about to become tasking, much of the public anger now appears to be channeling toward Apple, which has been refusing to comment on why its preparation for the iPhone 4’s government approval has been halted.
Apple’s silence has been fueling many outrageous Internet rumors and conspiracy theories, including some “fan fictions” about Samsung colluding with policymakers to earn more time for the Galaxy S.
But the more serious comments in the blogosphere also reveal that Korean consumers are beginning to realize that Apple is a company that plays by its own rules in the consumption industry, and its “accept it or leave it” approach seem to be bothering many.
“I think Apple should at least have the decency to address the public on why it hasn’t been able to submit the iPhone 4 for radio approval yet, when it’s been a month and a half since Jobs revealed the device at the June 9 conference,” wrote Choi Pil-sik, one of the country’s most popular tech bloggers.
“Apple also has to explain why Jobs made it sound like the Korean government is somehow responsible for the late release of the iPhone 4 — basically, they seem to be fine about KT being hung out to dry. Apple is the only company that can put an end to all this needless controversy.”
애플, 소비자와 판매사들 화나게 해
애플은 지난 11월 아이폰 발매 이후 분명 한국 소비자들이 선호하는 브랜드였다. 하지만, 한국발매가 연기된 아이폰4에 대한 논란으로 팬들은 등을 돌리고 있다.
KT는 7월 말 아이폰4의 출시가 이루어 진다고 했지만 결국 섣부른 발표였음이 밝혀졌다. 아직 애플은 한국 정부로부터 아이폰4의 승인을 받지 못한 상태다.
최근 아이폰4 출시와 관련해서 열린 기자회견에서 애플 CEO 스티브 잡스는 한국정부의 승인작업 문제로 출시가 연기되었다고 말했다. 하지만 한국통신위원회는 애플이 전파인증요청을 아직 하지도 않았다고 밝혔다.
KT는 다음달의 출시가능성을 언급하고 있지만 소비자들은 KT의 소심하고 느린 대응과 애플의 계속된 침묵에 좌절감을 느끼고 있다.
판매사들 또한 좌절감을 느끼는 것은 마찬가지이다. 한 판매사는 “KT가 7월 출시를 약속했기 때문에 예약을 받았다”며 “지금 저희는 사과하느라 진이 빠지네요”라고 말했다.
아이폰4 발매의 연기는 KT에 타격이 크다. 특히 삼성 갤럭시 S 발매로 승승장구하고 있는 라이벌 SK에게 속수무책으로 당하고 있다. |
