Apple to Release iPhone 4 in Additional 17 Countries

Despite the reception problems which dogged the initial stages of the iPhone 4 release, Apple sold over 1.7 million of the devices in the first three days of its availability. By September, Apple hope to have the latest iPhone available in 88 countries.

In a statement on the Apple website, it was announced that customers in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland will be able to purchase the handset in-store or online.

It is not yet known the exact pricing of the phone; the currently available iPhones cost $199 for the 16GB version, and $299 for the 32GB model.

Initially, the second stage of the product roll-out was to reach an additional 18 countries, however, Apple are experiencing some difficulties in acquiring approval form the South Korean government. The omission of South Korea first became apparent at a press conference on the 16th July in which he informed listeners that:

“It's going to take us a little longer to get government approval there.”

There has, however, been some speculation into the level of truth behind the proposed reasons for this omission. Apparently, the failure to roll-out the product to South Korea came as a surprise to the phone carrier which sells the iPhone in South Korea, KT corp.

In addition to the confusion of KT Corp., media figures in South Korea have accused Steve Jobs of misleading the public by giving false reasons for the delay.

Despite the differing opinions as to the cause of the South Korea omission, and the subsequent delay, analysts believe that sales will not be affected when the iPhone4 finally reaches the country.

The delay will however, open the door for Apple rivals Samsung and LG – both local companies. The mobile phone market in South Korea is dominated by these two companies; Samsung has a market share of 50%, and has launched its own Android-based smartphone, 'Galaxy S', last month.

Firstnumber offer cheap international calls to all of the 17 countries listed above, with prices starting at 1p per minute