Facebook on your iPhone
iPhones are storming across the world in popularity and like all mobile devices, people want to chat and integrate with social networking websites such as Facebook and MXit.
Facebook have created a Facebook iPhone portal, which not too many people know about, so I thought I’d blog it and spread the word. Via the portal, iPhone users will be able to view their news feeds, edit their profile, view events/friends and check their inbox messages.
The interface is Ajax driven, making it nice and smooth! iPhone applications are on the increase and it’s a niche in the market from what I can tell by looking into iPhone applications.
About the author:
Christopher is the founder of iMod - Most of his time is spent building websites and pushing the limits with Search Engine Optimization. You can follow him on Twitter @ChristopherM
Chris M has written: 4145 posts.
Jun 22nd, 2008 at 11:31 pm
Yep – it is a niche market indeed. And with the new firmware its going to go to a whole new level when the app store opens next month. Im part of a team developing native apps for the iphone and its really crunch time right now as the itunes submission deadline approaches.
Jun 22nd, 2008 at 11:37 pm
Ah wow, didn’t know you were involved in that mate, very interesting, might want to talk to you about some work in the near future.
I think mid July is going to see madness in the realm of iPhone madness. I certainly want to purchase one the minute they’re available, I just need to wait and see how expensive they are :)
Jun 22nd, 2008 at 11:48 pm
Ive got my fingers in lots of pies :) most of the time to my own detriment! Yeah, i also cant wait for the immmenent arrival of the jesus phone. With the new firmware, there will be no need to jailbreak, and there is an enormous amount of apps that will be available via the itunes apps store. Now, if only vodacom was to price it right, they would have a ton of new customers on their hands, me included!
Jun 22nd, 2008 at 11:59 pm
Any idea what the phone is going to retail for?
Jun 23rd, 2008 at 12:13 am
No idea mate. According to apple it will retail for “under $200″ worldwide (so that $199 for the US). Ofcourse this will only be available initially on contract – so thats the bit that is now in vodacoms hands and we can only guess how they will price it.
Jun 23rd, 2008 at 12:19 am
PS. I also blogged about this sometime back as it is of special interest to me. See links below:
http://www.mozami.net/blog/2008/06/new-3g-iphone-to-hit-south-africa-on-20-july/
http://www.mozami.net/blog/2008/05/apple-iphone-20-coming-to-south-africa-on-vodacom/
Jun 23rd, 2008 at 10:53 pm
Interesting, $199 is nothing, I would pay that without blinking, but I get the feeling that it’s going to retail for around R4,000.00 when it hits South Africa :/
I’ll pop on over and take a read of your posts!
Jun 23rd, 2008 at 11:06 pm
You are right – $199 is nothing. I doubt it would retail for as much as R4,000, especially since the maximum price around the world is $199 USD (as set by Apple). Also remember you would have to RXXX pay for the mandtory 24 month contract in addition to the once off payment of the phone upfront.
Jun 23rd, 2008 at 11:07 pm
I spoke to someone in Vodacom Business who said the price being touted at the moment is R9000/handset, bringing it inline with the cost of a Nokia N95 …
I brought in an iPhone in December, and had it hacked … it’s a brilliant tool. Facebook for iPhone is incredible too … very quick, even without the 3G … I’m usually on GPRS.
I suspect the market is going to be flooded with cheap Edge Handsets when the 3G launches here in SA.
The only thing I wish they’d have done was improved the camera. 2MP is rather pathetic…
T
Jun 23rd, 2008 at 11:25 pm
R9000, that’s freaking stupid! Honestly, if someone pays that for a mobile device, they’re an idiot in my opinion. I could afford that, but I wouldn’t on principle.
2MP is rather lame, I agree!
Jun 24th, 2008 at 1:08 am
R9,000 is insane but it may not be too far off – They could easily rake up that figure by asking for R1,600 + 24*R300 = R8,800
The R1,600 is approx $200 and the rest is part of the contract…
Jun 24th, 2008 at 6:53 am
R9000 is US$1200! That’s insane!. That’s daylight rapery, dammit. If I wanted the iPhone that badly, I would have one of my overseas friends buy one and FedEx it here and bear the brunt of the import taxes myself, thankyouverymuch.
Well, added to my other reasons, I guess I just won’t be getting me an iPhone. Not if they roll out with prices like that, thanks.
Jun 24th, 2008 at 7:41 am
I don’t think it will be R9000. COnsider that the unlocked version will sell in Europe for 500 Euros. R6200.
This is a much closer ballpark.
Vodacom are not in the business of selling phojnes they are in the business of selling airtime, why would they want to encourage people to buy a phone from them that wasn’t tied to a plan and could also be used on MTN or Cell C(although why anyone would want to do that is beyond me).
Get real people. A pre-paid phone will be expensive and there will be big subsidies for those taking out the iPhone plan.
Jun 24th, 2008 at 7:55 am
@Ben You do of course realise that Vodacom and Vodafone are entirely seperate entities, and that Vodacom will be very interested in making as much money as possible from the iPhone? It’s not often that they get an item as hot as the iPhone passing through their distribution network, while being allowed to set their own prices on it.
Given how the iPhone compares featurewise to other phones of its class, and given the fact that South African consumers generally want to be treated like mindless sheep and don’t mind paying exorbitant prices for things like phone plans and internet access, do you HONESTLY think that Vodacom is going to pass up this opportunity to rake in the dough?
They’ll be looking to pocket at LEAST R7500 per phone, which is what they would be retailing for if Apple wasn’t on it’s market-penetration pricing drive. This means that the prepaid versions would cost around R8500 once-off, and the plans would value in at maybe R10′000 for the basic package (which will be a 3G plan, no doubt, and those are expensive already).
Get real? We ARE getting real here.
Jun 24th, 2008 at 8:11 am
@wogan I just don’t see the logic of getting the hottest product on the planet and then pricing it so that only a small part of the market can afford it.
They might do the R9000 thing just to push people towards contracts but I don’t think that would happen, especially considering that their pre-order site specifically welcomes all comers.
I think they want to do volume on this rather than bleed a few customers.
This is the device that will do for consumers what the blackberry has done for business.
Also in August when they have to start publicising exactly what the subsidy is for the contract users any raping of the market will be exposed and I don’t think they would really want that bad publicity.
Jun 24th, 2008 at 8:26 am
@Ben South African corporations aren’t known for logic (MWeb being my case in point).
The subsidy-exposure thing only reveals the amount that consumers are saving on a contract vs. the cash price of the phone. Since Vodacom is the only point of entry for the iPhone in SA, they’ll be allowed to set the price at anything they want, and there’ll be no competition. I’m betting it’ll be enough to sell the iPhone to the people that really want it and can afford it, but not a cent less.
While Apple might be on a penetration drive, Vodacom probably only wants to make as much profit as possible – if that involves hiking the price by 350%, but only losing 25% of their customer base, they’ll see it as a prudent course of action. That’s the language of the bottom line – the only language South African businesses seem to understand.
~ Wogan
Jun 24th, 2008 at 8:37 am
Wow – a lot of posts while I was asleep.
If you buy the Nokia N95, any of the blackberrys or the HTCs from Vodacom you’re looking at $1000+ … If Vodacom priced the iPhone in at $200 or so … it would outstrip the demand for the others … but there’s something else we have failed to consider: South African Customs.
I imported my iPhone …
Base Cost = $400
Shipping = $100 (including the Insurance)
VAT = $80 (20% on imported electronic goods!)
Customs Duty = $200 (50% on imported electronic goods)
It took the price up to $780 (R6250). This is still cheaper than the R9000, but then I also had to deal with the schlep of jailbreaking the thing. And it has no guarantee on it. Vodacom will have to support the iPhone, provide it’s guarantees, etc.
The hacked-iPhone market in SA are all selling the phones in the region of R8500+ … some of them at R10 000.
I suppose, on contract it’ll go for R2400 with a fixed 24 month contract … and probably one of the business or talk contracts…definitely not the weekender.
Then again, I suppose we’re all speculating!
T
Jun 24th, 2008 at 10:57 am
I can’t believe a mobile device would retail for R9k, that’s completely crazy! I doubt it would ever go for that price, I was thinking more around the 4k mark..
Jun 24th, 2008 at 11:08 am
Chris … what is even more crazy is that people pay those prices! It’s a classic South African syndrome … most people are raised to think it’s wrong to question the price of things…
We just pay. Retailers know this. So they just keep putting up the price. We’re paying R10 a loaf of bread now, for heavens sake … why? Because people will pay it.
Jun 24th, 2008 at 5:46 pm
Ye mate, it’s stupid and ignorant. The funny thing is, people are so fast to complain about so much, yet we land in a situation where bread is 10bux, as you said :/
Nov 6th, 2008 at 3:56 am
we can only agree that iphones are here to stay as its the communication tool of the future, i spend hours on my iphone doing research and i suppose the word is search, enjoy the future and what it holds, we have amazing technology to help the crime in south africa and launching in the next month, we have made it mlm so everyone can get involved and help with crime while earning a passive income, you welcome to call tim upton on 0722881090