Best Buy, the largest retailer of consumer electronics in the United States and Canada, will soon begin selling the recently launched iPhone 3G across all 970 stores (Source). Well this is good news to all, since there are a lot of issues concerning the supply and demand of iPhone stocks in other parts of the world. Apple is really pushing through with their aim of selling the iPhone at a very low price and providing every household with the latest 3G iphone.

I wonder if the Filipinos will embrace Apple’s goals of providing each and every household with an iPhone, when they made a deal with Globe Telecoms as the direct distributor of iPhone 3G here in the Philippines. Although the subscription plan offered by Globe Telecoms is quite expensive considering the fact that during Steve Job’s revelation of the iPhone 3G, its retail price was supposed to be $199 for 8GB and $299 for 16GB. How can a third world country such as the Philippines afford a very expensive iPhone if the price is too high?

Good news to all iPhone enthusiasts in the Philippines, the much awaited wait is over because the Apple iPhone 3G is now here in the country. The deal with Apple was made possible through partnership with Gobe Telecoms as the official distributor of the 3G iPhone. Come this 22nd of August, the Philippines will now have the iPhone 3G available for Filipinos.

In a recent article published by Apple it says that:

Globe Telecom and Apple® today announced that they will be bringing the highly anticipated iPhone™ 3G to the Philippines later this year. iPhone 3G combines all the revolutionary features of iPhone with 3G networking that is twice as fast* as the first generation iPhone, built-in GPS for expanded location based mobile services, and iPhone 2.0 software which includes support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync and runs the hundreds of third party applications already built with the recently released iPhone SDK.

Listed below are some of the details provided by Globe Telecoms for interested iPhone subscribers.
For prepaid iPhone 3G Prices:
• 8GB iPhone 3G – Php 41, 889
• 16GB iPhone 3G – Php 48, 889

Every iPhone Prepaid Kit is provided with P200 worth of free load every month for 5 months; which means you get 10 free internet hours every month for the next 5 months at P5/15 minutes rate.
Post Paid Prices:
• Php1, 599/month | 8GB = Php16, 800 or 16GB = Php22, 300
• Php2, 199/month | 8GB = Php14, 600 or 16GB = Php20, 000
• Php3, 299/month | 8GB = Php12, 300 or 16GB = Php17, 800
• Php3, 999/month | 8GB = Php5, 600 or 16GB = Php11, 000
• Php4, 999/month | 8GB = Free or 16GB = Php5, 000

- 2-year lock-up applies.
- Rates are inclusive of VAT and Currency Exchange Rate Adjustment (CERA).
- Free text allocation applies to local text messages (Globe to Globe and Globe to other networks).
- Free call minutes applies allocation applies to local calls (Globe to Globe, Globe to other networks, Globe to landline and NDD calls).
Globe will be also be offering special post paid plans that will allow consumers to experience the great features of the iPhone 3G. These special plans will come with free local mobile internet hours and free Wi-Fi browsing hours (in areas covered by Globe Wireless Internet Zones).

For those interested in purchasing the iPhone 3G with Globe postpaid and prepaid, you can start making reservations beginning August 6 by calling Globe’s 24-Hour Call-in Service via landline (632)7301000 or 211 via toll-free mobile.
Thoughts regarding the iPhone 3G release here in the Philippines:
In a third world country like the Philippines, an electronic device like that of the Apple iPhone is just a luxury to some and is too expensive to acquire. For those who can afford spending Php 5,000 and above for their phone bills, this is probably an advantage, but for those who are prepaid subscribers, it might be too expensive to handle such costs. Although I’m very interested in getting one, I still have to think about it because I’m currently satisfied with my mobile phone and I don’t think a new iPhone could relieve me of anything. Having one will probably just add to my burdens. If you have an iPhone with you and you walk down the streets here in the Philippines, there is a 100% chance that you will get mugged. So in my own opinion, the iPhone is just for those socialites who doesn’t have to worry if they have something to feed their kids tomorrow and the next day. Let’s face it the Philippines is in the poverty line, whoever purchases his/her very own iPhone 3G buys it for the sake of being in with the trend. All that matters here in the Philippines is to get noticed. I vote for practicality and not luxury.