Telstra are exclusively launching the new Touch Diamond handset next month and have called it the iPhone rival, so they may not bother going with the iPhone at all.

The SMH reports here:
http://www.smh.com.au/news/iphone-in...073222599.html

Also it will be available on a stand-alone price of $999 or free on a two-year $80-per-month plan.

I wonder if Optus and VF will go with similar prices for the iPhone?

Sol Trujillo is to open a big new Telstra store in the Melbourne CBD on June 29, which could be an opportunity for an iPhone 3G announcement. But maybe not!

I wonder how many people will be queuing for the opening of the Telstra store?

I thought Telstra would still be selling the iPhone but after Vodafone and Optus.

Something like July 22 instead of the 11th.

Telstra to sell 3G iPhone | Australian IT

There hasn't been an official announcement by Telstra.

Did you notice the Touch Diamond was heavily "modded" by Telstra to include sensis maps and Trading Post plug-ins? Interesting....

its the plans I want to know about, not just who is selling the handset....

But, but,but, Telstra may actually be thinking that this phone would be a better release for them!

I know it's crazy, but they may actually have been snubbed by Apple because of the sensis and trading post mods, and are planning on trying to sell this puppy instead!! Maybe that's Sols big announcement... wow... wouldn't that piss a lot of people off!?!?

$999 for the diamond? and people are calling the iPhone expensive :-S

Good, that means more iPhone's for companies that don't have shitty and overpriced plans.

WALOC!

After the debacle I experienced with Telstra I wouldn't buy an iPhone from them even if they did sell it.

My home phone used to be with Telstra. Then everytime it rained my line got cut off. From what I've since learned mine was not an isolated experience.

Telstra may very well "not bother with the iPhone". I think this will be a blessing.

IT'S RAINING AND I CAN'T GET ANY iPHONE RECEPTION, DAMNIT TELSTRA!

well, if telstra think that the HTC is better than the iphone then the first comparison using its windows mobile gui against an iphone will end up pretty embarrassing for the three amigos.

of course he launch of the itunes video store would probably be about to put a large dint in the bigpond video store. It might be their 'knights of ni' moment*.

or more correctly, the black knight. Right movie, wrong knight.

Yes. I'll pay that one.

Seriously, if Telstra can't even get a normal phone line to work how would it affect the image of the iPhone if they started selling it?

I don't imagine that the HTC phone will diminish demand for the iPhone if Telstra carried both. In fact they are hedging their bets an expensive phone for nonbelievers and one for the rest of us.

If Telstra (and I admit it is unlikely) offered a better deal that Vodafone on the iPhone then I would get one from them.

There exists an argument that goes along the lines of market education. The more products one offers of similar, increased, functionality, the more the market becomes educated to the benefits that such new products may bring.

This sort of strategy allows higher pricing during early stages of product introduction, and allows those vendors who offer multiple products to understand exactly where consumer demand is heading in times of greatest product innovation.

Now I'm not saying that the iPhone is or is not innovative in fact. Relative to the mass consumer markets perception it is a relatively innovative handset - because of the navigation and application development/distribution model, not because its 3G has or doesn't have bluetooth etc.

It's funny how when the first rumours of Apple releasing a phone a few years ago were met with smirks and 'They might know computers, but the phone market is a lot harder to crack' - from all the phone makers.

... Now every new phone wants to an iPhone (or iPhone 'killer'), They're all going to full screen touch devices, all following a similar form-factor and look to the iPhone, and all have a similar interface and icon layout to the iPhone. It must be frustrating for Apple to do all the R&D and 'heavy patenting' only to have it ripped off by every other phone maker who were quite happy with their button phone's just a year ago. They all tried to copy the iPod a few years back but no-one came close - will be interesting to see if the iPhone enjoys the same success.

... I wonder when the zunePhone will be coming, it's not like MS to wait for too long before copying Apple's successful products.