The world’s most profitable smartphone maker will hang out its shingle in South Korea, one of the world’s most tech-savvy markets. Mobile management professionals are watching with interest to see how well the famous iPhone sells on the streets of Seoul.

So far, says the Associated Press, so good. The AP reports that the network carrier tapped by Apple to provide service to South Korean iPhones has already received 53,000 advance orders, and public interest appears to be high.

The Cupertino, California-based company faces stiff competition, however. The Wall Street Journal reports that local powerhouses Samsung and LG are a dominant force in the South Korean marketplace, to the tune of 90 percent of all cell phones sold in the country. The Journal also reports that Apple may have an unaccustomed leg-up on the competition, though: Cell phone price points in South Korea are the highest in the world, and the iPhone may actually be a relatively economical option.

Apple’s move is one of the latest large shifts in the cell phone market, as more handset makers and carriers expand from their traditional markets and branch out into new business areas.

This entry was posted by Mobility Management News Desk on Monday, November 30th, 2009 at 4:11 pm and is filed under Managing Mobile Devices News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.

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