An iPhone World

As far as it concerns Northern America, the iPhone is officially available everywhere, but in other areas of the world, it's still impossible to get one from the "white market." We're not talking about the upcoming 3G iPhone here, but the good old "classics," the 8GB and 16GB iPhones. So, why did I get to such an "ancient" subject? Well, after the latest announcements, there are no less than 35 countries where the iPhone is available via Apple's stores or its official partners, as we're going to see right away...


According to Channel News Asia, Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel), Bharti Airtel, Globe Telecom and Optus announced on Monday they signed agreements with Apple to bring the iPhone to the following countries: Singapore, India, the Philippines and Australia. As you can see in the map above, the largest areas still without any official means to get an iPhone are Africa and Asia. While Asia has a lot of iPhone clones selling all over the place, it's obvious most African countries won't see Apple's smart phone in the near future, and the main reason is the price and the poverty of those areas.

For now, there are about 35 countries having the iPhone or expecting it to arrive in the coming months, but only 13 carriers chosen by Apple to provide their services for the smart phone. Anyway, I am sure this may slightly change in the coming year, because if Apple wants to conquer more markets, it needs to show flexibility, and allowing iPhone's users to choose their own carrier is "a must."