Optus: 'Yes' to iPhone 3G S tethering
(Credit: Apple)
Australians eye-balling Apple's new iPhone 3G S will have to wait until 26 June, but will likely be able to use the device's new tethering feature, which allows it to be used as a modem.
The iPhone 3G will be a 17-day wait for Australians, with Optus this morning the only telco to commit to a firm date. Apple announced the new device overnight at its Worldwide Developer Conference in San Francisco.
While Apple has retained its current pricing for the new iPhone, local distributors, such as Optus, Telstra and Vodafone are yet to provide local pricing. A spokesperson for Optus said that more information is expected closer to the date of its Australian release.
Telstra and Vodafone are yet to set a local release date for the device.
A bonus for Australian consumers that their US counterparts will not be able to use is "tethering" — a feature in the new device, also available on older models via the iPhone operating system 3.0 update, that allows the device to act as a USB or Bluetooth connected modem. AT&T, the only US carrier that supports the iPhone, will not be supporting the feature; however, an Optus spokesperson told ZDNet.com.au that the telco will support it.
Neither Telstra nor Vodafone have confirmed whether the tethering feature will be available on their networks, however Telstra was left off of an Apple slide at WWDC detailing carrier tethering support, fuelling speculation in Australia Telstra would not allow tethering.
ZDNet.com.au is awaiting responses from Telstra and Vodafone regarding respective release dates and pricing.