Apple Inc.'s next generation iPhone lands this week in Mexico as part of its global debut, selling in Latin America's second-largest market for less than half its planned U.S. price.
America Movil will sell the 8-gigabyte 3G iPhone for as little as 773 pesos (US$75) in Mexico for buyers who agree to a two-year, 799-peso (US$77) monthly plan that includes 400 minutes of calls and 200 text messages.
Its 16-gigabyte version, with double the memory, will sell for 1,877 pesos ($US182), according to an announcement by America Movil, Latin America's largest mobile phone service provider, which is owned by Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim.
The price of the phone rises with cheaper monthly plans.
In contrast, AT&T plans to sell the 8-gigabyte model in the U.S. for US$199 and the 16-gigabyte model for US$299. Its cheapest monthly plan will cost US$70 per month, including 450 minutes of calls and unlimited e-mail and Web browsing.
The new iPhone -- which has a faster 3G, or third-generation, Internet connection and GPS navigation options -- was unveiled by Apple in June and debuts Friday in 22 countries, including the U.S. and Mexico, where Apple has never before officially sold the phone.
The rollout signals the latest battlefront in the feud between billionaire Slim's America Movil and Spain's Telefonica -- two global telecom giants that have been dueling for control of Latin America's mushrooming market of more than 300 million mobile-phone customers.
The first iPhone debuted in the U.S. last year for US$599. It was sold without a contract, but AT&T would only activate it if subscribers signed on for two years.
But many U.S. phones ended up being "unlocked" from AT&T's network and shipped overseas -- including to Latin America, where users enabled them to work on local networks.
Now AT&T is subsidizing the new phone's cost in the U.S. to draw subscribers...

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