South Africa might not be the biggest world market when it comes to technology adoption or sales, but that doesn’t stop companies recognising its potential. After trading online for much of its life in this country, Orange — the French telecoms giant, renowned for making a name for itself in a variety of tech endeavours — is opening its first South African brick and mortar retail store in January 2015.
The store will be located in the Cape Town suburb of Claremont, and will be the first of its kind in the country.
No ad to show here.
Orange, along with offering some of the latest gadgets and technologies, will also be offering other services in-store including an Orange Top Up facility, allowing users of the Orange WiFi network can purchase credit and use it at supported destinations.
Of course, Orange is pushing to become an ISP in South Africa in the coming years, so the WiFi push is something the company is definitely looking towards. The company has received a tender to implement community WiFi in parts of Cape Town, including Mitchell’s Plain and Khayelitsha.
But the brick and mortar store will be the company’s welcome mat in a country that it wishes to further embrace.
Have a look at the gallery below to gander through a sample of the products the store will offer. This is just a sample, and a fraction of the number that will be available when the doors are opened in the new year.
Excited? We sure are.
Moto X
The Moto X (2nd Gen) is currently on the online store for R6 910. Not bad at all, especially for a phone that boasts a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 CPU and a Full HD 5.2" screen.
Sony Smartwatch 3 G Watch
The LG G Watch R (left) and the Sony SmartWatch 3 will also be sold in store. The Android Wear devices retail for R3 660 and R3 105 respectively.
Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet
My personal favourite device on display was the Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet. A gorgeous screen, the Z3 Tablet also boasts a 6.4mm thick body, a 2.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU and a 8" Full HD display.
Tinyfinder
The TinyFinder does exactly what it says on the tin. It retails for a little over R500.
Toshiba Chromebook
Toshiba's Chromebook is another example of manufacturers adopting Google's Chrome OS for low cost devices. For R3 695, consumers get a 13.3" screen powered by an Intel Celeron CPU.
Acer E700 Trio
Acer's E700 Trio is a unique device, in that it can manage three SIM cards simultaneously and give you control over your network options. I'm most excited about the prospects of multi-SIM devices, especially since the Acer's only R2 765.
Chromecast Orange
Chromecast has made quite a splash overseas, but not so much in South Africa. Orange is selling the media-powerhouse-in-a-stick for R515.
Moga Game Controller
The Moga Pro Controller is a little different. It takes inspiration from Sony's Remote Play, and allows a more console-like control of Android games. It's good fun, and incredibly strange. It retails for a cool R670.
Orange Store Ct
Keep locked on to Gearburn for any developments on Orange’s push into South Africa, and let us know what you think of the company’s move in the comments section below.
