Iphone Madness in Turkey, Despite Beeing 40% More Expensive Due to Taxes

New iPhone, which has been launched yesterday midnight, has pulled the expected attraction not from Vodafone but from Turcell users. Although new iPhones were priced 40% more expensive in Turkey compared to the rest of the world due to 20% Special Communication Taxes and 18% Value Added Taxes (VAT), sales has lasted until the early morning hours at Turkcell stores.

Finally, the expected day arrived and new iPhone 3G devices have been launched yesterday. And just like its different device concept, sales concept was quite different as the sales started at midnight. All the iPhone fans and curious buyers gathered at Bagdat Avenue for the night that bounded 25 September to 26 September.

While iPhones were launched by both Vodafone and Turkcell in different price lists, new devices just hit the targeted expectations especially for Turkcell subscribers. We have interviewed with subscribers from both camps and they raised various reasons explaining the failure of Vodafone hitting the targeted expectations.

Of course the more appropriate price lists offered by Turkcell have affected the interest shown to devices and therefore they gained an advantage in this sales campaign. And Turkcell user profile being composed of upper-income leveled users has also helped them in sales. We have also found that Turkcell’s announcement, which indicated that 50 iPhones will be put into a lottery, has helped to grow such an interest in the sales.

Turkcell General Manager Sureyya Ciliv made the first sale for the company at 00.00 am and the lucky subscriber who had the first iPhone 3G was 12 years old Emre Telli. Several hundred meters long queues were formed in front of the Turkcell Store in Bagdat Avenue.