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THE iPhone will not be arriving on Australian shores any time soon, according to an independent phone retailer that has reviewed the product.
Crazy John's, Australia's largest independent phone retailer, reviewed the iPhone in a recent promotional magazine distributed in Australia.
Unfortunately the reviewed device does not indicate an impending release, according to Crazy John's head of sales and marketing Stephen Morley.
"I don't believe the product is imminent here in Australia," Mr Morley said.
Mr Morley said the handsets reviewed were not Australian models and that they were sourced from "partners in other markets".
"We've had several staff testing the product over the past 6-8 weeks.
"We test lots of products, regardless of if we'll be selling them or not."
The iPhone is already in Australia unofficially, due to consumers importing the device and performing unauthorised modifications for use on local networks.
In most countries where the iPhone has been released, Apple has chosen a single phone network to provide service for the handsets. iPhones can be "unlocked" to work on other networks, but doing so will void the phone's warranty.
Another type of software modification, known as a "jailbreak", allows users to install non-Apple software such as games on their iPhones – but also voids the warranty.
The handset pictured in the Crazy John's review appears to have been modified, as it has third-party applications on the screen and displays "Vodafone" in the status bar.
Apple has confirmed the iPhone will be released in Australia this year, but no further details about the date or the network have been provided.
The company is currently working on a second-generation 3G iPhone which would offer faster data transfer on local high-speed networks.
Vodafone said it expected the Australian release date to be delayed until the 3G model was available.
"Most handset manufacturers’ range of devices in market are designed to provide customers with high-speed access to content, such as mobile music, mobile TV and entertainment, within coverage areas," Vodafone said.
"Vodafone would be surprised to see an iPhone released in Australia before a 3G or HSPA-enabled model becomes available."
Last October Telstra chief executive Sol Trujillo said the carrier had been in talks with Apple, but there have been no confirmations from Apple or other networks about an Australian deal.
"Almost every supplier has big plans in the next six to 12 months with their version of an iPhone in response," Mr Trujillo said.
Spokespeople for Telstra, Optus, Three and Apple had no further details.
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