Are telecom operators feeling the pinch from heavily subsidizing the iPhone to consumers?

T&A: Reuters made a report on a study showing that telecom operators who secured exclusive deals to sell the Apple iPhone in their home countries may have paid too high a price from the heavy subsidies they shell out to secure subscribers.

Strand Consult, a research firm which conducted the study, claimed that not one single telecom operator has seen an increase in market share, revenue or earnings from selling the iPhone.

The report also mentioned SingTel, the exclusive distributor of the iPhone in Singapore, where it has reported falling profits due to iPhone launches.

There’s also some foreshadowing in the study where other handset manufacturers are catching up with Apple as their new models begin to function and feel similar to the original 2007 iPhone.

The iPhone 3G S comes in two models - 16GB and 32GB - and comes with Apple's new iPhone OS 3.0.

SHOWCASE: Apple has unveiled a new iPhone called the iPhone 3G S at the Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco today. ‘S’ in 3G S stands for ‘speed’ and apparently, the 3G S is twice as fast as the iPhone 3G, thanks to its 7.2Mbps HSDPA chip. Expect the phone to hit US stores June 19.

Not only that, battery life is longer, there’s a 3-megapixel autofocus camera, voice recording and hands free voice control. The 3G S will also include the new iPhone OS 3.0, which comes with 100 new features from Cut, Copy and Paste, MMS, Spotlight Search to landscape keyboard and more.  

While the 16GB model costs US$199 and the 32GB costs US$299, US-based telecom operator AT&T will be charging consumers between US$399-699 for the iPhone 3G S. 

Apple will be giving away the iPhone OS 3.0 for free to existing iPhone owners but charge US$9.95 for iPod touch users who want to upgrade. Not only that, the existing 8GB iPhone 3G will cost just US$99 for new AT&T subscribers from June  8.

The iPhone 3G S will be made available in more than 80 countries over the coming weeks. Check out some of its other features here.

If you want to catch the press conference of the announcements, watch in Quicktime MOV format here. If you want to read up on a report of what exactly went on over there (yes, one of our own from the Singapore team was there), go here. 

T&A: The Business Insider released news yesterday stating that the BlackBerry Curve actually sold more units than the Apple iPhone in the U.S. in the first three months of 2009.

According to research firm NPD Group, RIM’s BlackBerry Curve 8300 series took the number one spot mainly because it was on sale at more carriers and had a buy-one-get-one-free Verizon Wireless promo.  While the Apple iPhone takes up the second spot in the results list, RIM’s other BlackBerry models – such as the Storm and Pearl – took the third and fourth placings respectively.

Unlike Apple's App Store, US$2.99 is the min. price per app on BlackBerry's App World. However, developers get a higher rev share on apps sold but pay more on annual subscription.

CORP TALK: BlackBerry smart phone users now have an app store to call their own as Waterloo, Ontario-based Research in Motion (RIM) has just launched its much-awaited online store today. The App World store will include programs from popular networks like The New York Times, Facebook, MySpace, Bloomberg and so on. Unlike the iPhone with its popular 99 cents apps, the minimum price for App World is US$2.99 per app.

According to an InformationWeek.com report, developers will get to retain 80% of the revenue from any sold app, 10% more than what they would get from Apple’s App Store for the iPhone and iPod Touch. However, they also have to pay US$200 a year to put up to 10 apps in the store, which is slightly more than what they would pay for Apple or Microsoft (its Marketplace for Mobile, slated for a year-end launch).

Of course, 3rd-party programs have long been available for BlackBerrys from various sources but with the launch of its App World, RIM is now officially following in the footsteps of Apple with its centralized store. It’s definitely going to be a trend as we see Microsoft (ie. Marketplace for Mobile), Nokia (who owns Symbian) and Google (for its Android platform) doing the same for their smart phone platforms. (more…)

SIA's inaugural A330-300 flight to Brisbane has 30 Business class and 255 Economy class seats.

Once a feature for Biz class only, iPod & iPhone connectivity is now accessible on Economy class on the A330-300 flight to Brisbane.

CORP TALK: Singapore Airlines’s (SIA) inaugural A330-300 commercial flight to Brisbane, Australia took off today on 30 March 2009 (Monday) at 0010 hours, with the added bonus of iPod and iPhone connectivity on every seat, including economy class.

This way, passengers can jack-in either of their favorite devices and watch their favorite shows via the new Krisworld inflight entertainment system.

The A330-300 itself is configured as a two-class layout, with 30 new Business class seats and 255 Economy ones. After Brisbane, SIA plans to begin flights between Singapore and other Australian cities like Adelaide and Perth, and subsequently Japan (Nagoya and Osaka). (Editor opinions: 1)

Vijay Anand, Editor, HardwareZone.com

Vijay (HardwareZone.com): With the uber-competitive travel industry, ticket price slashes, free offers and more, it is essential that an airline distinguishes itself from the competition and not succumb to the more commonplace tactics when troubled times come about.

One way to do this is embrace technology, change and address customer needs. Create a service offering that’s unrivaled to others and you can continue to command top dollar as customers see value in spending more.

SIA’s global ranking as a top airline and financial status give it the best position to push ahead with cabin upgrades and new technologies to satisfy consumer demands. (more…)