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No iPhone News At Telstra's New T[life] Store Opening
Posted by Nick Broughall at 12:56 PM on June 27, 2008
It seems that opening large stores is all the rage at the moment. After Apple's Sydney Store opening last week, Telstra yesterday threw the shackles off its new T[life] store on the corner of Bourke and Swanston streets in Melbourne.
Unlike Apple, there were no people camping out overnight; there's no gigantic glass panels or Italian sandstone; instead there's two levels of Telstra, crowned by a giant 22 x 2.5 metre LCD screen.
As with other T[life] stores, you can tell the obvious Apple Store influence, from the free daily training sessions and demonstrations, areas dedicated to getting your hands on the products and other areas dedicated to business users and home networking. Considering that this is their fifth T[life] store, they must be doing something right as well.
Telstra also used the launch to show off their new QR codes yesterday, and for everybody keeping notes, they refused to discuss the iPhone (although Uncle Sol did pull out the new HTC Touch Diamond for a bit). Uncle Sol did, however, go on to say that Telstra was bigger than Apple.
From ITWire:
"I was asked the question this morning, "Gee, are you in a war with Apple?" The big store that opened up there in Sydney.
"The answer's no. Apple has a great store, they've got a great brand and they do great things. But we're much bigger, we're much broader and we're much more connected in terms of touching everybody's lives here in Australia.
"And so we do more in a store like this and we're trying to create that opportunity for everyone to get that experience. So, I'm excited because this is a key milestone again in the transformation to show how we've changed the game here at Telstra centred on one basic notion: and that's our customers.
"But it's also to help all our customers to see the uniqueness of Telstra, the unique capabilities of Telstra, the unique products of Telstra, the unique focus that we have and how we integrate it all"
Bigger than Apple? I'm going to disagree right there. They offer a wider range of services and products, yes, but bigger? Definitely not. At the same time, the two companies are very different, so it's a bit like comparing rugby and netball, simply because they both use a ball.
In any case, even if Telstra do announce the iPhone, I doubt that Apple zealots will be queuing up outside the T[life] store to buy one. Even though there's an obvious similarity between the ideas behind the two stores, they do cater to different consumers.
[Telstra and ITwire]
Comments
Jared
Posted June 27, 2008 2:43 PM
Telstra bigger than Apple!!! Hahaha, that made my afternoon. Soory but i don't recall seeing Telstra in any Top Ten company polls and does Sol even look at the stock market. Don't remember Telstra hitting $200 a share let along $10.
And he say's he in touch with this countries needs. Telstra has never been in touch, they are the most over priced Telco, they don't listen to anyone and are so slow in the uptake of new technolgy. Give me a brake.
S.
Posted June 27, 2008 3:22 PM
So Sol's is bigger than Steve's?
I think the only response thats suitable is that Steve knows how to use his better :)
boc
Posted June 27, 2008 4:03 PM
Does anyone actually care about anything that comes out of Telstra these days? With Sol at the wheel they've become a joke. A lame one at that.
I was always hoping that Apple would open a store at that location. It would have been awesome. To see it turn into a Telstra store... my heart weeps.
aniki_xiao
Posted June 27, 2008 5:21 PM
If you guys read it carefully he actually meant bigger then Apple in Australia. Which i think it is valid to say. Every house in Australia has a uses some kind of Telstra service, be it home phone, internet or mobile. (note; naked DSL and phone line rental through other companies are still using Telstra's product, they are still getting a cut from it). I don't think you will find even Apple's string of oh-so-desirables has the same percentage of penetration. I honest don't see why Australian would bash Telstra over Apple. How many Australians owns Telstra shares and how many owns Apple? Sure, it has its faults, but right now do you see any other major technology related company in Australia that is still Australian? Furthermore they are spending big in R&D and actually developing new technologies. I don't see Optus or Vodafone have any kind of major R&D presence in Australia. How are we going to be the smart country if we don't have a strong high-tech R&D industry? We can't ride the resource boom forever.
Jon
Posted June 27, 2008 5:45 PM
I think your missing the point, "in Australia", telstra are fare bigger then apple in many ways.... In Australia. And I do care what comes out of telstra as they are the only network that bothers to provide mobile service in my area, as fare as the price of shares, well there are simply more telstra share then there are apple shares, telstra simply divided the value of the company into smaller parts.
Chundles
Posted June 27, 2008 10:14 PM
Yeah but Apple was never a government monopoly that still owns the tax-payer funded infrastructure despite being privatised.
Sol's a moron.
michael doh
Posted June 30, 2008 4:38 PM
telstra iphone confirmed
http://www.nowwearetalking.com.au/news/telstra-iphone-3g-is-coming