Local telcos see healthy interest for iPhone 7

SINGAPORE — Singtel, StarHub and M1 said yesterday they have seen healthy interest from customers pre-registering for the new Apple iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, even as the removal of the headphone jack and the introduction of new wireless headphones called AirPods stirred controversy among many fans.

Singtel was the first to open pre-registration at noon yesterday, followed by M1 and StarHub several hours later. All three telcos will be selling the new iPhone 7 and 7 Plus from Sept 16. Customers can also pre-order no-contract phones from www.apple.com/sg from 3.01pm today. The iPhone 7 is priced at S$1,048.00 while the iPhone 7 Plus is S$1,248.00. The phones will come in new colours, including a shiny jet-black and matte black, in addition to the existing options of silver, gold and rose gold.

Apple early yesterday morning unveiled the two new iPhones at a two-hour conference in San Francisco.

The iPhone 7 comes in the same two forms — a 4.7-inch screen and a 5.5-inch Plus option — that the iPhone has had since 2014, but several changes have been made. These include water and dust resistance, and a major upgrade to its camera with a dual-lens system on the iPhone 7 Plus that allows for improved long-range photos. It also has an enhanced home button that lets users perform different tasks depending on how hard they press it.

But the change that has upset some fans is the removal of the headphone jack — a port that has been a fixture in consumer electronics for decades. Instead, the iPhone 7 will be bundled with headphones that connect to the phone via the Lightning charging connector.

Apple will sell optional US$159 (S$215) AirPods — wireless headphones that include a microphone for hands-free calls. This update however, has been cause for controversy, with a review in The Guardian likening the AirPods to a tampon without a string.

“I won’t be getting the new phone. The new wireless AirPods look very ugly ... And, externally, there’s no significant change from the iPhone 6,” said Mr Roland Tan, 43, who has an iPhone 6 Plus, with StarHub as his carrier.

On the other hand, there are customers such as Mr Danny Ho, 40, who are attracted to the new iPhone. “I’m going to get the phone because of the new features like the wireless earbuds and the new jet-black colour,” he said. “I won’t be placing a pre-order, though. I’ll wait a while first as normally the first batch will have some problems. The second batch will be better as Apple will troubleshoot and correct any issues.” Mr Ho currently owns an iPhone 6s, with Singtel as his carrier.

There will also be many who will stick with the iPhone, if for no other reason than to avoid having to move their songs, movies and pictures off Apple devices and embracing a fragmented Android apps marketplace.

Ms Nancy Chan, 36, simply wants a sturdy mobile phone. “I will be getting the new iPhone, mainly because it’s water resistant. I dropped my iPhone 6 in the toilet and had to spend a lot of money to fix it,” said Ms Chan, who has M1 as her carrier. WITH AGENCIES