28 April 2011, Singapore - Last night (Wednesday), I saw from my twitter news feed that the iPad 2 is confirmed to commence on sale in Singapore on 29 April (Friday) - 1am online and 10am at the retail stores. What caught me by surprise was that the iPhone 4 White is going on sale today - 28 April (Thursday). This is the much-anticipated release and Singapore is one of the first countries that will get it.
Silly as it may sound, I waited past midnight and checked the Apple Online Store in hope that I will magically see the iPhone 4 White model available for online purchase. I slept at almost 1am, woke up this morning, and checked the online shop. Still nothing.
During lunchtime, I went to Parkway Parade, and following the list of authorised iPhone resellers on the Apple website, I asked them for iPhone - I didn't even mention the white version - but they said only telcos sell them. I wanted to get a contract-free unit because I would only save less than $200 if I were to keep my existing mobile plan and do an early recontract with 7 months remaining.
At about 2pm, the Apple Online Store went offline, signalling that a change is coming, obviously on the iPhone 4 White model. I waited in anticipation, but after 2 hours, the store was still out of service. With each passing moment, the chances of getting the online order before the long Labour Day weekend grew slimmer.
What happened next was privileged information, but in essence, I was offered an opportunity to purchase the iPhone 4 White from a specific authorised retail outlet, but at a small premium over the Apple Store. I grabbed the opportunity and by 5pm, I had the iPhone 4 White in my hands:
And was I glad I did, because when I checked the Apple Online Store which went back online, the iPhone 4 White is merely "coming soon".
Why was I so anxious to get the White unit? Because wifey has been waiting for it for the longest time. It was supposed to be her birthday present (last September), then Christmas, then Valentine's. So here, on the very first day of worldwide availability, I have it.
While my iPhone adventure comes to an end, the iPad 2 buyers' adventure have just begun - less than 3 hours to the online availability and less than 12 hours to store opening. Enjoy!
- 10.40pm (GMT +8)Labels: iPhone, Life, Phone, Tech
