2011年5月27日星期五

S'poreans sell camera-free iPhone 4 sets

S'poreans sell camera-free iPhone 4 sets

APPLE iPhone 4 users in sensitive areas of work, or those in the military where camera phones are prohibited, now have the option of getting the smartphone's inbuilt camera removed or covered.

Three Singaporeans decided to tap into this market, launching a website last month to tout their services. Would-be buyers can get a DIY iPhone 4 back-cover replacement kit which conceals the inbuilt phone camera for $170, or a pre-packaged iPhone 4, which comes new without a camera for about $1,100.

One of the three founders of the business, who gave his name only as Kelvin, said that the idea to remove the popular smartphone model's camera was broached when the trio discussed which was the best non-camera mobile phone in the market.

The 22-year-old is a partner in a local media company, while the other two work in the defence industry. They have sold just over 100 sets to both local and overseas buyers, with about 20 per cent of their clientele hailing from countries such as the United States and India.

Kelvin said that profit is "minimal", with most of it going towards offsetting the cost of materials used.

The replacement parts are ordered from two factories in Shenzhen, China, which hold "official manufacturing contracts with Apple", said Kelvin.

Netizens have raised doubts on online forums over whether the modified phones are permitted into restricted areas, such as military camps.

The Ministry of Defence said that it does not allow any unauthorised image-capturing devices, such as video cameras, cameras or phones with cameras, to be taken into Singapore Armed Forces camps and training areas, for security reasons.

However, servicemen who have operational requirements may be authorised to carry smartphones with the cameras disabled.

~News courtesy of OMY~

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