Softbank To Sell iPhone For $215
Monthly fees for iPhone users would be 7,200 yen, which would include unlimited data-transmission, as long as a user's plan included free Softbank-to-Softbank subscriber calling most of the day, according to a report published by Reuters.
Softbank's chief executive Masayoshi Son told reporters that the iPhone will benefit the company's earnings and help it draw users away from competitors like DoCoMo. "
The 8 GB 3G iPhone will cost 23,040 yen, or $215, but the 16 GB higher-end model will cost 34,560 yen or $320.
"There have been users who were just attracted to our low price, but the main point this time is feature attractiveness rather than price," Son said.
The phone hits the market in the U.S., Japan and 20 other countries on July 11, and demand is expected to be significant.
"We expect the first lot to evaporate instantly. We in the company will probably fight to get one as well," Son said. "Supplies will likely be scarce for a while."
Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced the launch of the 3G iPhone, capable of transmitting data at faster speeds than the first generation iPhone and equipped with GPS functionality, at the company's conference for developers in early June.
Jobs said the 8 GB version of the new iPhone would cost $199 in the U.S. and be priced similarly around the world at launch.
Apple launched its ground-breaking iPhone smart phone in the summer of 2007. The company announced it hopes to sell 10 million iPhones in 2008.