Key Point 5: Related Stories: iPhone 4 Review iPhone 4 Corporate Launch The...

Related Stories: iPhone 4 Review iPhone 4 Corporate Launch The Math on Globe's iPhone 4 Price Globe to launch iPhone 4 on September 26 Update: It's been 11 days since I got the new Globe postpaid m...

[ Apples and iPods ]

Globe iPhone 4 Public Launch

Name: Globe iPhone 4 Public Launch
Brand: Globe
Rating: 4.5 (1 reviews)

Abe Olandres September 26, 2010 · 2 min read

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Globe Telecom started handing out the new iPhone 4 to the public at 9am today with hundreds (and going to the thousands) lining/waiting to pick-up their handsets.

They also had a corporate launch last Friday but this one’s for the general public.

Globe arranged for 2 venues as pick-up points for the iPhone 4 release — there’s one in Shangri-la Makati and another one in New World Hotel (beside GreenBelt 3). A total of 450 Globe personnel were deployed to man 150 stations/booths for claiming and activating the handsets.

Globe reps claim this is their biggest product launch ever (bigger than the 1000+ iPhone 3G launch they had 2 years ago). But unlike the iPhone 3G launch, this one is much more organized and more prepared. People were comfortably seated and relaxed; and since it was inside the hotel, the atmosphere is less stressful despite the growing crowd.

The entire process of claiming the iPhone 4 was smooth and quick. There were so many Globe personnel to usher people around and they had catering from the hotel so there were lots of good food and bottomless brewed coffee.

I also claimed my unit from a retention plan and the whole process was done in 30 minutes. I asked the staff and they said it could go up to 90 minutes depending on the type of customer (new, switchers, retention, upgrades, etc) which will include the option of transferring/syncing contacts to the new micro-SIM.

From our estimates (based on the initial rate of activations), there could be somewhere around 1500 – 2000 people claiming their iPhone 4s today (9am to 9pm).

Unfortunately, the Globe rep I asked tells me Apple isn’t automatically extending the free bumper case to the Philippines (you need to claim it from the US as it’s only applicable there).

I also managed to switch my plan to My Fully Loaded 1799 from the old iPhone Plan 1599 to get the 16GB iPhone 4 at reduced rate. The 16GB iPhone 4 costs Php37,499 (free on Plan 3799 @ 24 months) while the 32GB is Php43,699 (free on Plan 5000 @ 24 months) on prepaid plan.

Abe Olandres

Editor-in-chief

Abe is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of YugaTech with over 20 years of experience in the technology industry. He is one of the pioneers of blogging in the country and considered by many as the Father of Tech Blogging in the Philippines. He is also a technology consultant, a tech columnist with several national publications, resource speaker and mentor/advisor to several start-up companies.

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302 Comments

yo_chinbo · 16 years ago

for those who have their iphone 4 already,after reservation how many days, weeks or months did you get an email or text message from globe?

denzy · 16 years ago

pde ba na magcut ako ng sim ng globe then yun n lng ang gamitin ko? yung line ko kasi diko plan gamitin s iphone 4… may option ba na ganun s loyalty/retention plan na di m na papaconvert to microsim yung old simcard mo, tnks.

Carlo · 16 years ago

Sir when I went to Shang Makati expecting to have an iPhone, after the CSR texted me, they said that the prepaid kit is not yet available… They actually didnt inform me through text that only postpaid application will be accommodated. When do you think it will be available for the prepaid users? :( I really want the prepaid kit to avoid any problems with the postpaid… :(

Lawrence · 16 years ago

I got my iPhone 4 Thursday, September 24. I reserved it I think a week before.

Blogger from Mindanao · 16 years ago

Pretty good deal for prepaid users but the problem is the availability.

shaun · 16 years ago

still out of stock when i went to megamall, i’m dying to have one right now and globe haven’t replied yet to my reservation,kalungkot

does anyone here used their credit card to avail 12 months 0% interest on iphone 4 prepaid kit..
more power to your iphone 4 sir abe =)

c · 16 years ago

got my iphone4 at Shang. switched from BB globe prepaid kit to iphone4 postpaid. globe promised that my new number will be activated after 24hrs but until today my iphone4 is still not a phone. now I have my ipod touch and iphone to play games. i thought i bought a phone? or did I?

RJCA · 16 years ago

I’ve been trying to confirm my reservation for an iPhone under loyalty since Thursday and I still haven’t been called. I’ve been assessed already so I don’t know what the hold up is. I’ve been following up the case, I’ve called maybe 6 or 7 times, Globe HR is really taking a hit in my book, they promise to call back but nothing happens.

leninmac · 16 years ago

I would just like to ask if there’s really a free bumper program here in the Philippines. I can’t find it in the app store. Thanks.

edward · 16 years ago

@MyMaria: according to CS from globe center, depende daw if naka time-based or KB-based yung plan, default kasi is Kb-based charges, unless you have activated the time-based internet. in my case i believe its time-based kasi even before naman 5/15 mins ang charging nila.

@jim: im not sure about the APN, but i was told you can just turn off the Cellular Data Network under the settings menu. and it works. when you try to connect, it wont work unless its turned-on.

my concern now is WiFi, seems my unit doesnt connect easily kahit sa SM free wifi.. hmmm

Kitty · 16 years ago

Yugger!!! Mishu! =)

jim · 16 years ago

there is no such thing as loyalty award as far as globe telecom is concerned. they are just giving you new plans for a new phone.

just a reminder to those who just got a new iPhone 4: change your APN settings like add/delete character/s to avoid being charged continuously with data charges unless you are enrolled to an unlimited surfing plan
e.g. APN: internet.globe.com.ph — change the whole thing or add characters e.g. internet.globe.com.phqwerty. remember to do this again if you happen to reset the network settings or when you update your iPhone

garyboi · 16 years ago

Hey! I don’t know why you guys were able to have your existing plans upgraded and get an iPhone 4. I went to Globe Megamall re: upgrading my existing plan at least to Plan 1799 but they said that when I upgrade it, I won’t get the iPhone 4. I’m at the same time almost done with my 24-month contract by May 2011 and they mentioned that they’re not sure if they can give me an iPhone 4 as loyalty or something. Very inconsistent and different from what you guys experienced last Sunday. I don’t know why? :( GLobe people at Megamall are like that; I’ll try to visit other Globe stores.

Abe Olandres Editor-in-chief · 16 years ago

@garyboi – you need to finish your existing contract first. My contract expired last August so technically I am on a new contract already.

Dien · 16 years ago

tungkol sa internet ..sa mga SM makapag connect ng automatic..kung gusto u naman sa bahay ..bili ka ng wifi router connect u ang Globe/smart bandlux or broadband duon then macheck u sa iyong Iphone 4 – marecognised ng unit na connected sya

Dien · 16 years ago

Check out whre the product manufacture? warranty…price affordable

MyMaria · 16 years ago

@edward âˆš check! I was getting worried about this… how do you monitor ba naman the minutes/hours you have used?

edward · 16 years ago

@MyMaria: i dont think that is possible. for one, freebies are charged per hour- e di ba parang lano naman ata nun ng change to per Kb na.. anu to hidden rules nanaman ng globe– ill see when my bill arrives to confrim though, ill ask na CSR from globe business center mismo. malabo kausap mga call center agents nila, hindi ata alam sanasabi minsan

MyMaria · 16 years ago

Hey you guys… I also got the plan 1799.. but how true is it that when you use all of the 15 hours of internet (coz I availed of 5 D’s)… we are charged na daw per KB as for internet? not time-based?!? Whoa! Can anyone confirm this?

arnold · 16 years ago

I chose D freebie. That’s free 15 hours data, plus 1799 is consumable daw sabi ng CSR.

edward · 16 years ago

@dongv: yes, while i was waiting dun sa counter to process my retention plan, the CS girl mentioned that a lot of subscribers have upgraded their plans to lessen the cashout value.
i chose 4D’s and 1 B… sayang nga hindi ko pwede pa cancel yung existing subscription ko for SuperOne, in exchange for the freebies. hehe sayang.. aynyways the freebies are changeable, meaning every 30 days you may opt to have another set of freebies.

to you guys out there: iphone4 is an excellent phone. it may have some downsides, pero it is still worth it.. =)

Rico · 16 years ago

@raymond

Weak cellular spots. There’s our clincher. Our office in Sta Rosa Laguna has a weak Globe signal and everyone seems to suffer a dropped call or two when inside yet we use a diverse set of phones. Even my trusty old Nokia 1100i loses quite a bit of bars there rendering the call unintelligible.

@dongv
I picked 5 Ds which is equivalent to 15 hours of browsing. I used to have 40 hours of free borwsing in my old plan 1599 plus 40 hours of Wiz Wifi, now they’re gone!

raymond · 16 years ago

@rico

Complaints of signal loss from customers has led Apple to implement band-aid solutions.

First is by distributing free bumper cases, which unfortunately wasn’t part of Globe’s deal.

Second is by releasing a software update iOS4.0.2 which was supposed to mitigate the problem. But what it actually does is hide the true loss of signal strength by “fixing” the signal strength display on your screen.

On areas with strong network coverage, you won’t experience dropped calls. However, the real test begins when you go to weak cellular spots.

The design of the iPhone 4 is the problem. Antennas aren’t supposed to be placed in areas that can be touched. Obviously, the solution cannot be software in nature.

But don’t take my word for it. It’s on iPhone 4’s website mismo.

http://www.apple.com/antenna/

dongv · 16 years ago

just curious lang, since so many pick the Plan 1799. what are the A-E freebie you pick?

arnold · 16 years ago

Also got the iPhone 4 under plan 1799 pero my line was upgraded from the previous 1599 so I needed to cash out around 9K…Good deal na rin, Globe din naman ang gagamitin kong SIM dun so might as well get tied up with Globe for another 24 months…:-)

edward · 16 years ago

haha, you got a good deal there sir yuga. i got mine with a cashout under plan 1799, so pwede pala yung ganun additional lock-in period.
also dami ng plan upgrade just so the cashout will be lesser.
anyways, sobra haba ng waiting time nga e. a lot are complaining especially na merun sobra tagal na daw nghihintay dun. pero ako hindi masyado mga 1hr 30 min lng naman. hahah LOL
great phone!!! i still have to do more test kung ok nga talga tong bagong iphone4.

churchill · 16 years ago

Ngayon lang ako nakakita ng phone (iPhone 4) na kinailangan ng bumper para matakpan yung scar (antenna issue) sa package. Parang band-aid sa isang sugat.

Pero sana hindi ito yung case ng mga devices na nirelease dito sa pinas.

jaimsitecom · 16 years ago

sa mga nakakuha: naka os 4.1 na ba sya? if yes, then hindi pa sya jailbreakable…

Rico · 16 years ago

@raymond actually I was very disappointed when I was able to make a call and fail to drop it using the “death grip”.

raymond · 16 years ago

Don’t say you were not warned about the most expensive phone that cannot make calls.

poche · 16 years ago

@jaycee
sa dec pa ata un white iphones in time for xmas lol

Rommel Suganob · 16 years ago

I signed the reservation form from here and was able to get mine today as well. thanks to yugatech :)

Jaycee lee · 16 years ago

Is the white iphone 16gb available? I want to upgrade my 3gs to 4g. I hope i can get one before my birthday this nov ;)
Im currently on gflex plan 800 and my 24months locked up plan is not yet finished . Is it possible to upgrade to a much higher plan without any cash out? Thanks!

Cookie Lugue · 16 years ago

so the bumper program can still be availed pala….great! thanks for the info.

and it was great to meet you at the launch :)

Tiger · 16 years ago

I went to Makati Shangrila as the text Globe sent told me to do so at 8pm Sunday. But only the 16GB Iphone was available! They should have texted that only the 16GB was available that time.

denkoi · 16 years ago

i just wish that when it’s our time to get the iphone4, meron din “good food and bottomless brewed coffee” =)

para patas ang laban hehe

noemi · 16 years ago

my tine slot was 1 to 2 PM. I was in Tagaytay at that time but left an authorization letter for Lauren to claim it. I arrived in Manila at 2:30 and immediately let my daughter go at 3PM. Another hour and by 4 PM I was already done. Their network system was down hence the delay. But yes,less stressful.

RJCA · 16 years ago

*iPhone

RJCA · 16 years ago

@denkoi – I’m in the same boat, still waiting. :|

@manny- I agree, you can sell your Iphone two years from now and make back the 10k. Then you can get the Iphone 6. :>

manny · 16 years ago

the price isnt actually bad, even for a 24-month contract.

Fernand · 16 years ago

@abe: i didn’t know that adding another 12months from a 24months lock period is equal to a free iPhone 4, i also upgraded my plan to 1799 but i paid 9899pesos for the cash out, sayang :) in shangrila kanina its a different story, my timelot was 1pm to 2pm nakalabas ako 4pm na..3hours dun grabe, lots of people are already complaining.