South Korea’s SK Telecom is in talks with Apple to become the second iPhone carrier in the country. “We are currently in talks with Apple to offer both the iPhone and the iPad but there are some noises about problems with the latest iPhone so we’re worried,” Jung told Dow Jones Newswires.
So I guess, South Korea’s biggest wireless operator will soon offer the U.S. firm’s popular tablet computer, the iPad. But there lies some confusion also. Yes, Mr. Jung’s concerns are over signal strength issues some iPhone 4 owners have been experiencing when holding their phone so the lower left corner of the device is covered.
Apple , issued a statement on July 2 claiming the problem is software-related and that a fix is on the way. So far, Apple’s only iPhone partner in the country is KT. The company hasn’t struck any iPad deals in South Korea yet. Mr. Jung didn’t say how far along the negotiations with Apple have progressed, nor did he offer any idea as to when the iPhone might be available through SK Telecom.
Jung however didn’t say when the iPad might be available in South Korea. Jill Tan, a spokeswoman for Apple in Hong Kong, declined to comment. The executive also said the company expects its operating profit in the second and third quarters to be better than the first quarter due to lower marketing costs.
“We’ve spent a lot on marketing costs in May, but we met the government’s marketing cost guideline of around 22% of revenue, in June. So our operating profit will further improve into the third quarter,” Jung said.
Tags: Apple, dow jones, hong kong, iPad, iphone 4, marketing cost, signal strength, sk telecom, south korea, tablet computer