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New iPhones in SA this month

Tyson Ngubeni
By Tyson Ngubeni
Johannesburg, 14 Oct 2014
Apple says the new iPhones will be available in SA on 24 October
Apple says the new iPhones will be available in SA on 24 October

In a move described as the fastest iPhone rollout, Apple has announced SA will be included among 36 countries and territories stocking the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus devices by the end of October. Local operators have yet to indicate how much the smartphones will cost.

The devices were launched last month in one of the most anticipated tech events of the year, with Apple reporting record sales of more than 10 million in the first three days. They were first available in the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore and the UK.

Apple says its current launch phase leading up to the end of this month will include countries across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America and Africa.

The company says the new devices will be available in a total of 69 countries and territories by the end of October and are on track to be available in more than 115 countries by the end of 2014.

Shortly after Apple's global launch, local e-commerce merchant Online Bargains said customers could expect to fork out R16 499 for iPhone 6 pre-orders, although its current offer is R11 599 for the 16GB version.

Limited offer

Meanwhile, iStore has indicated there are limited cashback vouchers available for iPhone owners who trade in their older models as part of a new contract upgrade, renewal or cash purchase of new devices.

Next phase of iPhone rollout:

17 October: China, India, and Monaco
23 October: Israel
24 October: South Africa, Czech Republic, French West Indies, Greenland, Malta, Poland, and Reunion Island
30 October: Bahrain and Kuwait
31 October: Albania, Bosnia, Croatia, Estonia, Greece, Guam, Hungary, Iceland, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Macau, Macedonia, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, South Korea, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine, and Thailand

The reseller last month announced iPhone owners are entitled to a guaranteed cash back of up to R5 000 for older models, irrespective of where it was bought or where the cellular contract was initiated.

In a statement released today, iStore said: "The current trade-in values are R5 000 for an iPhone 5S, R4 000 for an iPhone 5C or iPhone 5, R2 500 for an iPhone 4S, and R1 500 for an iPhone 4."

The company added it is "the only national chain that offers iPhone contracts and upgrades on all cellular networks (Vodacom, MTN, Telkom Mobile and Cell C), regardless of where you signed up originally for your current contract".

Vodacom will open up pre-orders for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 plus on 17 October.

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