“Koreans greeted the launch of the iPhone Saturday in the style to which Apple has become accustomed,” Philip Elmer-DeWitt reports for Fortune.
“Hundreds of customers lined up, some as long as 26 hours in advance, to pick up the country’s first batch of 1,000 iPhones amid helium-filled balloons, flashing strobe lights and a blaring rockabilly band,” Elmer-DeWitt reports.
“According to the AP, KT Corp., the country’s second-largest carrier, had received an estimated 65,000 pre-orders — a number likely to loosen Samsung and LG Electronics’ tight grip on the local mobile phone market,” Elmer-DeWitt reports.
“Apple was quick show Koreans the flashy features only the iPhone can offer,” Elmer-DeWitt reports. “Below: An iPhone ad already airing on local TV.”
Direct link via YouTube here.
More info and links in the full article here.
That’s a nice start for Korea! The Koreans love technology the iPhone should do well there.
Why are all the App names in English?
@iphoner
because they’re proper nouns? My name in Asia has no coresponding Asian equivalent.
“Apple was quick show Koreans the flashy features only the iPhone can offer”
Already speaking in the local dialect I see.
@G4Dualie,
I think he meant the Roman alphabet. Or at least I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt.
not so fast…. you have no idea how hard import cellphone market in Korea. actually, in order to be successful, Apple should open itunes store (it’s only opened for app store now). otherwise, I think iphone is useless. don’t you think?
Didn’t know that rockabilly was big in Korea.
OK, I’ll be the one to say it since everyone seems to have forgotten…
B…b…but..but the Palm Pre has multitasking. It’s better wah wah wahhhhh!
/i got tire of saying SIDAGTMBTTS. this is more contemporary and still lots of fun.
@montex Don’t forget this phone does not have a keyboard, which makes it, blah, blah , no email, blah, these computer guys, blah, blah.
Why couldn’t apple make a version of that very simple ad but with the interface in Korean? The entire interface in that ad was in English. (to, subject, trim, email, send, etc.)
Joe I agree they should, but they still got 65,000 pre orders in a market with only 400,000 phones. I’d say they are doing pretty well. Even more considering not one but 2 major smartphone manufacturers are there!
Game on!
I’m with Joe on this. There seems to be no localization at all. Disappointing. The phone seems to localized to France, Germany, and China. Why not Korea? Oh well, it’s selling anyway.
I was going to do a take-off on the ‘landing with a bang’ vs the ‘crash and burn’ of Windows (m)Mobile and the free-fall market share of a few other manufacturers, but my brain stalled so I’m bailing…..
(You are now free to move about the internet)
Hey Montex your ann ass if you think the pre is better then the iPhone millions can prove that point do see the pre turning heads and people eating 26 hours to get
Hey Powers,
How’s that bump on your head? Any damage?
Patience.
There will be plenty of localizing once the iPhone gets some traction in Korea and Koreans start writing apps that are applicable to their needs.
Having 65,000 pre-orders for a phone that has “English” apps is phenomenal. Wait until localized apps start showing up in the store.
The iPhone/touch has only just begun…
this news is no surprise anyway.
ironic isn’t it? when apple orders screens from LG.
http://no-spamming/
I don’t think Powers got montex (or TowerTone).
Here’s a simplified explanation:
montex was being sarcastic (Pre supporters keep claiming how Pre is supposedly superior because it has true multi-tasking, so whenever there’s news how iPhone continues to dominate, or how Pre failed, someone posts here “but, but… it doesn’t have multi-tasking!”). Today was montex’s turn to be sarcastic.
And SIDAGTMBTTS is short for “Shut it down and give the money back to the shareholders” (quote from Michael Dell from ten years ago, referring to Apple). In this case, montex meant Palm, not Apple, obviously.
Actually, you can set the display language to Korean pretty easily, and there are quite a few Korean apps already available. I have had an iPod Touch for a bit and I’m learning Korean so I’ve seen quite a few apps available.