"The next time you are in Malta and need an iPhone 3G, it will be there for you." These words sparked a wave of excitement through the Maltese tech community, not so much for the fact the new model of the iPhone will be available in Malta but for the simple reason that these words were uttered by Steve Jobs, the founder and chief executive office of Apple, one of the most important figures in the technology sector worldwide.
He was addressing the annual Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco last week and a video clip with the quote immediately found itself on YouTube, accompanied by an ironic remark that 'we exist'.
Malta will be one of 70 countries that will sell iPhone 3G by the end of this year, Mr Jobs announced, but it is not yet clear why he decided to pick Malta out of all these countries.
Several readers contacted this newspaper to verify the story as it was making headlines in the specialised ICT press across the globe. Last December i-Tech has quoted from an international report that claimed iPhone 3G would be available in Malta through Vodafone, as the mobile group would be rolling-out Apple's phone in several countries by March or April 2008. At that time both Vodafone Malta and SG Solutions, Apple's representatives in Malta, could neither confirm nor deny these reports.
Mr Job's announcement has caught all the Maltese by surprise, including Vodafone Malta and SG Solutions.
Contacted by i-Tech within a few hours of the announcement, both companies could not furnish any details as Mr Job's statement had caught them by surprise too.
Apple's website lists Vodafone Malta as the retailer that will sell iPhone in Malta, complete with a link to the company's website.
A spokesman for Vodafone Malta could neither confirm nor deny that the operator will indeed support iPhone 3G in Malta, where there is also Go Mobile providing 3G mobile access and Melita is expected to launch its 3G mobile service in the coming months.
A statement by the Vodafone Group issued on the same day of Mr Job's announcement said "Australia, Italy, New Zealand and Portugal will be the first Vodafone markets to offer customers iPhone 3G for purchase on July 11. iPhone 3G will be available via Vodafone on both prepay and contract price plans which will include great value data bundles. Other markets will follow later this year and full details of specific launch dates and price plans will be made available soon by individual Vodafone operating companies."
A spokesman for SG solutions confirmed that Vodafone Malta will be Apple's partners in the release of iPhone in Malta.
iPhone has been hit wherever it was launched in June last year. Apple has sold six million handsets and predicts it will sell 10 million by the end of this year.
"We've learned so much with the first iPhone. We've taken what we've learned and more and created the iPhone 3G; and it's beautiful," Mr Jobs said.
The new version comes with 3G high-speed internet connectivity, built-in GPS, support for push-e-mail with Microsoft Exchange syncronisation, and acts like a wide-screen iPod. And of course, it's a mobile phone, easily controlled by tapping on the touch-screen.
Mr Jobs said iPhone 3G will sell for US$199 (€129) with eight gigabytes of memory. This means it will be half the price of its predecessor, but twice as fast, according to Apple.
However prices are expected to vary across the different countries. T-Mobile announced it will sell Apple Inc.'s new iPhone for as little as one euro for the eight-gigabyte version together with a €69 monthly contract.
The first version of iPhone has been available in Malta for a few months now but since Apple had not launched it officially in our country through an agreement with one of the local mobile operators, iPhone handsets had to be hacked. However this did not deter some retail shops to advertise the sale of these handsets.
He was addressing the annual Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco last week and a video clip with the quote immediately found itself on YouTube, accompanied by an ironic remark that 'we exist'.
Malta will be one of 70 countries that will sell iPhone 3G by the end of this year, Mr Jobs announced, but it is not yet clear why he decided to pick Malta out of all these countries.
Several readers contacted this newspaper to verify the story as it was making headlines in the specialised ICT press across the globe. Last December i-Tech has quoted from an international report that claimed iPhone 3G would be available in Malta through Vodafone, as the mobile group would be rolling-out Apple's phone in several countries by March or April 2008. At that time both Vodafone Malta and SG Solutions, Apple's representatives in Malta, could neither confirm nor deny these reports.
Mr Job's announcement has caught all the Maltese by surprise, including Vodafone Malta and SG Solutions.
Contacted by i-Tech within a few hours of the announcement, both companies could not furnish any details as Mr Job's statement had caught them by surprise too.
Apple's website lists Vodafone Malta as the retailer that will sell iPhone in Malta, complete with a link to the company's website.
A spokesman for Vodafone Malta could neither confirm nor deny that the operator will indeed support iPhone 3G in Malta, where there is also Go Mobile providing 3G mobile access and Melita is expected to launch its 3G mobile service in the coming months.
A statement by the Vodafone Group issued on the same day of Mr Job's announcement said "Australia, Italy, New Zealand and Portugal will be the first Vodafone markets to offer customers iPhone 3G for purchase on July 11. iPhone 3G will be available via Vodafone on both prepay and contract price plans which will include great value data bundles. Other markets will follow later this year and full details of specific launch dates and price plans will be made available soon by individual Vodafone operating companies."
A spokesman for SG solutions confirmed that Vodafone Malta will be Apple's partners in the release of iPhone in Malta.
iPhone has been hit wherever it was launched in June last year. Apple has sold six million handsets and predicts it will sell 10 million by the end of this year.
"We've learned so much with the first iPhone. We've taken what we've learned and more and created the iPhone 3G; and it's beautiful," Mr Jobs said.
The new version comes with 3G high-speed internet connectivity, built-in GPS, support for push-e-mail with Microsoft Exchange syncronisation, and acts like a wide-screen iPod. And of course, it's a mobile phone, easily controlled by tapping on the touch-screen.
Mr Jobs said iPhone 3G will sell for US$199 (€129) with eight gigabytes of memory. This means it will be half the price of its predecessor, but twice as fast, according to Apple.
However prices are expected to vary across the different countries. T-Mobile announced it will sell Apple Inc.'s new iPhone for as little as one euro for the eight-gigabyte version together with a €69 monthly contract.
The first version of iPhone has been available in Malta for a few months now but since Apple had not launched it officially in our country through an agreement with one of the local mobile operators, iPhone handsets had to be hacked. However this did not deter some retail shops to advertise the sale of these handsets.