Despite a report to the contrary, none of Australia’s major telcos will confirm whether they are planning to host a midnight launch party when Apple’s new iPhone 4 goes on sale in Australia on Friday 30 July.
This morning The Next Web reported that Optus would host a midnight launch party for the iPhone 4 — as it has in the past for other releases — so that customers would be able to pick up the handset the minute it goes on sale. But contacted this afternoon, a spokesperson for the telco would not confirm or deny the report.
“Optus is gearing up for the launch of iPhone 4 on July 30. We look forward to sharing information on pricing and our launch activities soon,” they said. Optus also owns the Virgin Mobile brand in Australia — which will also sell the iPhone.
It was a similar story when representatives from both Telstra and VHA (which operates the Vodafone and 3 brands in Australia) were contacted — both telcos said they had nothing yet to announce on the matter. None of the telcos have confirmed Australian pricing yet for the iPhone 4.
Is is typical of Apple launches in Australia that the company will closely coordinate with its telco partners the timing of the launch of its devices. Typically iPhones will be sold from both official Apple stores as well as the telco’s own retail outlets.
While the iPad went on sale at 8AM in the morning and coincided with the launch of Apple’s new store in Bondi Junction, Sydney, iPhone models have typically gone on sale at midnight on the launch day — so Thursday night for a Friday launch.
In Sydney, the midnight launch has in the past resulted in crowds gathering around lengthy queues in the area around front of Apple’s Sydney CBD store — which is located across the road from one of Telstra’s flagship T-Life stores and a large Optus store closely.
The iPhone 4’s launch in Australia comes as many purchasers of the first Apple handset to be available in Australia – the iPhone 3G – are completing their two-year contracts for their existing handset.
Image credit: Apple