iPhone Vendors Bullish About Giveaway
With Apple CEO Steve Jobs announcing this weekend that his company is willing to shell out free covers for all who buy the phone 4, you’d think that phone cover manufacturers and resellers would be more than a little concerned about the impact it will have on sales. Not so, it seems.
With Apple CEO Steve Jobs announcing this weekend that his company is willing to shell out free covers for all who buy the phone 4, you’d think that phone cover manufacturers and resellers would be more than a little concerned about the impact it will have on sales. Not so, it seems.
Just a couple of days after Jobs made his announcement to counter the negative publicity of reception problems for the new phone, vendors spoken to by CyberShack think a giveaway might even have a positive effect on their bottom line.
Rob Wu from JY International, which specialises in these accessories, believes there’s more to a cover than whether it is free or not, but there will be a slight impact. “Basically it will have sort of impact at the start,” he said. “But most customers we have are looking for a variety in their cover. We offer that variety. So overall, I don’t see a negative in this for us.”
iWorld Australia Director Chad DeClase goes one step further – he thinks it might increase sales.
“I think it would be fantastic and well worth giving them a free case,” he said. “It will not only bring attention to the accessories, but people who buy Apple products want a fashionable accessory – they want to personalise their phone. And that’s where we come in. The fact is, Jobs has got people talking about it now, so I see nothing but positives for us coming out of this.”
He also said that he believed Jobs was right in saying that it was a smartphone problem, not just a phone problem.
“We tested a few smartphones after the announcement and found that if we put the ‘death grip’ on them, then a few of the reception bars disappeared,” he claims. “So it’s just a beat up against the iPhone. Most smartphones seem to have this problem.”
As of this writing, nobody from Apple Australia would confirm if it would be giving away free cases with the iPhone 4, which is due for release at the end of July.
