What's new in business news: September 12, 2013

New iPhones set stage for smartphone competition, egg prices capped for 3 weeks after price surge, tollway computer system problems for motorists continue

MOBILE PHONES 

New iPhone models set stage for heated smartphone competition

Apple's highly anticipated launch of two new iPhone models mounts a fresh attack on the high-end smartphone market in Thailand. The new iPhones will help Apple maintain its second-place ranking in the Thai market with a 20% share. Android controls 50% of the market here. Apple recently slashed the price of the iPhone 4S 8 GB to 14,900 baht in a bid to expand upcountry. Other handset makers will likely follow suit with price cuts to compete with Apple.

High-end smartphone models range from 19,000 baht to 27,900 baht. Apple's iPhone 5C is retailing in Thailand at 19,000 to 21,000 baht for the 16-gigabyte version, while the iPhone 5S model would retail at 27,900 baht. Nokia, whose handset division was just bought by Microsoft, is set to roll  out a high-end Windows Phone model, the Lumia 1020, in October for 24,990 baht. Sony and LG plan to introduce high-end Android smartphones for 20,210 and 19,900 baht respectively. Samsung will launch its Galaxy Note 3 at a price topping 20,000 baht.

[Read full story here ]

INFLATION 

Egg prices capped for 3 weeks after price surge 

The Commerce Ministry has frozen egg prices, set by egg producers, at 3.5 baht each for three weeks until an egg supply shortage passes. The price cap will see the retail price of eggs pegged at between 3.9 and 4 baht each against prices which had surged to 5 baht for the largest size (Size 0) and over 4 baht for smaller sizes. The price freeze will apply to the up to 2 million eggs sold daily. 

Egg producers in Phichit say unusual weather has caused hens there to produce fewer eggs. The situation has forced them to set egg quotas for retailers while consumers and food sellers at Phichit municipality market have begun to hoard eggs, following rumours of a looming egg shortage.

[Read full story here ]

TRANSPORTATION 

Tollway computer system problems for motorists continue

Work to improve the tollway Easy Pass computer system sometimes causes it to ignore past values and display incorrect balances to motorists when they are passing through toll booths. 

Failure to update real-time values of toll deposits caused barriers not to open for some motorists when the system assumed their toll deposits had run out.

The Easy Pass computer system works by deducting tolls from prepaid "tags". The computer problem has happened to 21,000-28,000 motorists , or only 3-4% of the total 700,000 prepaid tag users. The problem will be solved by the end of this month. In the meantime, tag users should refrain from paying toll deposits into their Easy Pass account between 10pm and 4am, when officials are busy correcting tag users' data. Tag users can check the value of their toll deposits at www.thaieasypass.com and by phoning the call centre number 1543.

[Read full story here ]