MacBlogz – One Stop Apple News - Bridging the Apple Community and Keeping Tabs on the Rumor Mill.

TeliaSonera Bringing iPhone 3G to Latvia, Lithuania on Sep.26th

We have known that both Lithuania and Latvia have been expecting the iPhone 3G for some time now, only a date had not been set. With a recent press release, mobile provider TeliaSonera has announced that both Baltic countries will be getting the device come September 26th, 2008.

Macworld points us to an announcement from mobile [...]

Apple Getting Ready for Final Stage of International iPhone Expansion

Apple is now preparing to launch the third and final phase of the international iPhone rollout of 2008, which can begin as soon as this weekend.

The Cupertino-based company has had ambitious plans of launching the iPhone 3G throughout at least 70 different countries worldwide. Apple is planning the announcement of expansion from the [...]

Israel Gets Official Mac OS X Hebrew Translation (Kinda)

Although Isreal (Tel-Aviv especially) is often referred to as a mini Silicon Valley (Silicon Wadi), Apple hasn’t had an official Hebrew translation of OS X available, until now.

iDigital, Israel’s official Apple distributor explains that Israelis can now use the acclaimed Mac OS X operating system in hebrew. The Hebrew translation of OS X was developed [...]

Apple Sees Recent Surge in iPhone’s Web Share

According to recent figures, Apple’s coveted iPhone 3G has seen a surge in its global web share.

In a report gathered by web analytics company, Net Applications, the figures show that in June of 2008, one month before the launch of the iPhone 3G, the first generation iPhone held about a 0.16 % share of the [...]

Apple to Sell 10 Millionth iPhone by End of September

This past Saturday, one ambitious iPhone 3G owner and AAPL investor, known as, “BillH,” made a contribution to The Mac Observer’s Apple Finance Board (AFB) reporting his recently purchased device’s International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number.

So what is the importance of all this you may ask. The number that he had reported may represent [...]

China Mobile Getting Ready to Subsidize iPhones?

Word on the street: China Mobile, China’s largest cell phone carrier, is revisiting negotiations with Apple to subsidize the iPhone in its home country says JLM Pacific Epoch.

The research firm cites China Communications, which in turn quotes sources close to China Mobile (via macnn.com). As part of the ‘new deal’, China Communications would provide [...]

iPhone Arrives in Russia; Three Carriers So Far

Russia and China are two very important markets for Apple’s iPhone. The device needs to gain substantial ground in both countries for Apple’s global dominance to truly emerge.

Back in July, Apple and the iPhone 3G began slowly making ground with Chinese and Russian negotations. At Apple’s recent WWDC ‘08, in an exclusive (video link) interview [...]

Orange Comes Clean About Implementing Artificial Network Limitations

French mobile carrier, Orange, has admitted to capping 3G networks and will reportedly raise download speeds after extensive outcry from frustrated iPhone users.

Orange has since been feeling the pressure from enraged customers who had tested and compared download speeds on iPhon.fr’s forums. Users had found that iPhones on Germany’s T-Mobile network, which had subsequently [...]

Apple Expecting to Sell 3.5 Million iPhone 3Gs in Russia Over Next Two Years

Despite the fact that over 600,000 unauthorized iPhones have made their way to Russia, Apple expects to sell 3.5 million units over the next two years.

According to analysts and market sources, Apple has officially struck deals with two Russian carriers, and is expected to add a third next week.  Russia’s largest carrier, Mobile TeleSystems (MTS), [...]

Apple Closer to Global Domination; 20 More Countries Get iPhone 3G

Apple has updated their website to reflect the additional 20 countries that have launched the iPhone 3G today. MacBlogz has kept a continuously updated iPhone WorldMap of the countries, carriers, coverage rates, and iPhone prices around the world.

The below image represents the countries where the iPhone 3G is available as of today.

The below image [...]

Apple Ramping Up iPhone 3G Production; 40 Million Units In 12 Months

Since the release of Apple’s iPhone, they have met or overcome all expectations in regards to sales of the device. And with Apple’s intent on manufacturing at least 40 million iPhones in the next year, BusinessWeek is claiming that sales will hinge on global success and fixing the connection glitches that so many consumer [...]

[video] Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Finally Launch the iPhone 3G in India

Telecom giants Bharti Airtel and Vodafone have finally launched Apple’s coveted iPhone 3G in India.

“5…..4…..3…..2…..1…..Happy iPhone release!” At least that is what the crowds may have said outside of the Gurgaon mall in New Delhi, India. Bharti Airtel and Vodafone are the ones responsible for bringing the iPhone 3G to India, where consumers are undeterred [...]

India to Pay Outrageous Prices for iPhone 3G

India has been announced as one of the 21 countries that will receive the iPhone 3G this coming Friday. Both Vodafone and Airtel have announced their hardware costs and the prices are staggering.

A couple of weeks back, we had gotten word of Indian iPhone 3G prices that were rumored to carry an expected price [...]

Russia to expect iPhone 3G Sooner than Later?

A recent Bloomberg report notes that the iPhone 3G may make an appearance in Russia sooner than previously expected.

We have previously reported about an official notice that the device will indeed make its way to Russia, yet further details had remained unclear. Now, we have learned that OAO VimpelCom and OAO MegaFon, Russia’s [...]

Turkcell to Carry iPhone 3G in Turkey

As the iPhone 3G will continue its international rollout, Apple has added Turkish cell provider, Turkcell to the long list of carriers.

Despite having already come to an agreement with Vodafone to distribute the device in Turkey, Apple has reached an understanding with the country’s largest mobile provider Turkcell, servicing over 35 million people, about half [...]

Globe Telecom Drops iPhone 3G Pricing in Preparation for Launch Next Week

iPhone 3G provider for the Philippines, Globe Telecom, has made the much anticipated device a bit more in reach, as they have recently cut their pricing plans.

Corporate communications chief for Globe Telecom, Menchie Cruz, has noted that new subscribers “can still enjoy a zero-percent interest Apple iPhone 3G arrangement with Globe’s bank partners to make [...]

New Dynamic iPhone Worldmap; Check It Out to Explore

We’ve completely re-vamped our iPhone Worldmap!

Previous to this new Dynamic Map, our iPhone Worldmap was just a set of images with some tabular data being listed. But who wants to just stare at some images when you can dynamically interact with content?
We took all the information we had and brought it over to ZeeMaps. [...]

HSBC Considering Massive iPhone 3G Order

HSBC, the worlds largest banking group, nay the worlds largest company period, with an estimated 330,00 global employees is mulling over the possibility of dropping their employees BlackBerry handsets, for iPhone 3Gs.

Such a move could put an iPhone 3G into the hands of some 200,000 members of the HSBC staff, quite the staggering number indeed. [...]

Piper Ups iPhone Sales Estimates to 4.47 Million for Q4

Piper Jaffray analyst, Gene Munster, has recently upped his target estimate of the number expected Q4 iPhone 3G sales from 4.1 million to 4.47 million, according to a Wednesday report to clients.

“Munster’s new estimate is based 1) on Apple’s report that it sold 1 million iPhone 3Gs in the three days following the device’s July [...]

Apple Sells Three Million iPhone 3Gs in the First Month

Only one month after its debut, the iPhone 3G continues to sell sell in record numbers.

Analyst, Michael Cote, of the Cote Collaborative and former T-Mobile executive, has reported that the iPhone 3G has hit the 3 million sold mark. If this estimate is accurate, Apple may be in for sales far greater than the [...]