Second Round of iPhone 4 Launches Begins in Australia [Updated x2]

As announced by Apple CEO Steve Jobs earlier this month and confirmed in a company press release earlier this week, Apple has begun its second round of iPhone 4 launches, bringing the device to 17 new countries. Countries in this round of launches include Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Singapore, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

152102 iphone 4 cake telstra
Cutting an iPhone 4 cake at Telstra's Sydney launch party

The Sydney Morning Herald offers coverage of the launch in Australia, where a number of Apple's carrier partners one-upped the company's 8:00 AM retail store openings by launching the iPhone 4 at midnight local time.

But in the race to score the most customers, Optus, Telstra and Vodafone/3 bent over backwards to ensure the wait was an event in itself. Singer Kelly Rowland greeted customers at Optus, Vodafone plied its faithful with free booze and Telstra offered fine cuisine.

Sources say each telco has received only about 12-13,000 iPhone 4 units in the first batch, and with Optus alone getting over 100,000 pre-order customers, stock is likely to run out within days.

Things appear to be going less swimmingly in New Zealand, which is two hours ahead of Sydney. According to local reports, Apple's deal with Vodafone has been canceled in that country as all mentions of the device disappeared from the carrier's site yesterday and no launch plans had been announced. We also received word that Vodafone has posted signs in its stores this morning stating that the launch will not be taking place today.

160158 vodafone nz iphone 4
Sign posted in Vodafone New Zealand store window

The change would appear to leave customers scrambling, with unlocked iPhone 4 models at unsubsidized prices set to be available through Apple's online site as their only option in that country, although rumors also suggested the device might be available through other retailers there.

A Vodafone spokesman declined to comment and directed questions to Apple, whose representatives have not yet returned nzherald.co.nz's calls.

But it is understood that Apple's deal with Vodafone is off and the gadget won't be available from New Zealand stores tomorrow, only online from Apple.

Then again, another rumour gaining ground on Twitter is that retailer JBHiFi will be selling the iPhone 4 tomorrow.

South Korea had also been originally scheduled to be included in this wave of launches, but Jobs announced at the iPhone 4 press conference earlier this month that the launch there would be delayed as the company continues to seek government approval of the device there. Government officials have disputed that notion, however, claiming that Apple has yet to even submit the iPhone 4 for approval.

At the iPhone 4's introduction at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference in June, Jobs announced that 24 unspecified countries would be included in a third round of launches set for August, with an additional 40 countries set to see the iPhone 4 in September, bringing the total to 88 countries. It is unknown, however, whether Apple is still planning to adhere to that schedule.

Update: We've heard that both Vodafone and JB Hi Fi are claiming that a "shipping error" is responsible for the cancellation of today's launch in New Zealand.

Update 2: The New Zealand Herald reports that the iPhone 4 did finally go on sale at selected Vodafone stores there at mid-day, with Apple set to follow with unsubsidized sales later today.

With iPhone mobile provider Vodafone saying it would not launch as promised, backed up by retailers JB Hi-Fi and Magnum Mac who all told nzherald.co.nz that the device wouldn't go on sale today, there was massive confusion over whether Apple fans could get their hands on the device at all.

But this changed late this morning with Vodafone announcing that it would be sold from midday at selected non-partner stores. Apple have since announced that it will be available for purchase on the apple.com/nz/ website this evening. Pricing starts at $1099 to buy the device outright, although Vodafone is offering subsidised on-account plans.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

Apple Watch Ultra Night Mode Screen

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Launching Later This Year With Two Key Upgrades

Wednesday July 2, 2025 1:13 pm PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 appears to be nearly over, and it is rumored to feature both satellite connectivity and 5G support. Apple Watch Ultra's existing Night Mode In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is on track to launch this year with "significant" new features, including satellite connectivity, which would let you...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Friday July 4, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are just over two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:Apple logo repositioned: Apple's logo may have a lower position on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro models, compared to previous...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Max Battery Capacity Leaked

Thursday July 3, 2025 5:40 am PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature the biggest ever battery in an iPhone, according to the Weibo leaker known as "Instant Digital." In a new post, the leaker listed the battery capacities of the iPhone 11 Pro Max through to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and added that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature a battery capacity of 5,000mAh: iPhone 11 Pro Max: 3,969mAh iPhone 12 Pro Max: 3,687mAh...
iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Magsafe

iPhone 17 Pro's New MagSafe Design Revealed in Leaked Photo

Wednesday July 2, 2025 8:37 am PDT by
The upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are rumored to have a slightly different MagSafe magnet layout compared to existing iPhone models, and a leaked photo has offered a closer look at the supposed new design. The leaker Majin Bu today shared a photo of alleged MagSafe magnet arrays for third-party iPhone 17 Pro cases. On existing iPhone models with MagSafe, the magnets form a...
airpods pro 2

AirPods Pro 3 to Help Maintain Apple's Place in Earbud Market Amid Increasing Low-Cost Competition

Thursday July 3, 2025 7:25 am PDT by
Apple's position as the dominant force in the global true wireless stereo (TWS) earbud market is expected to continue through 2025, according to Counterpoint Research. The forecast outlines a 3% year-over-year increase in global TWS unit shipments for 2025, signaling a transition from rapid growth to a more mature phase for the category. While Apple is set to remain the leading brand by...
Wi Fi WiFi General Feature

iOS 26 Adds a Useful New Wi-Fi Feature to Your iPhone

Wednesday July 2, 2025 6:36 am PDT by
iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 add a smaller yet useful Wi-Fi feature to iPhones and iPads. As spotted by Creative Strategies analyst Max Weinbach, sign-in details for captive Wi-Fi networks are now synced across iPhones and iPads running iOS 26 and iPadOS 26. For example, while Weinbach was staying at a Hilton hotel, his iPhone prompted him to fill in Wi-Fi details from his iPad that was already...
iOS 18

Apple Releases Second iOS 18.6 Public Beta

Tuesday July 1, 2025 10:19 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 updates to public beta testers, with the betas coming just a day after Apple provided the betas to developers. Apple has also released a second beta of macOS Sequoia 15.6. Testers who have signed up for beta updates through Apple's beta site can download iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 from the Settings app on a compatible...