iPhone to hit Europe in Nov.

[difenbaker]

iPhone due to hit Europe in November
5 07 2007

By Spencer A. Beckett II

The Times is reporting that deals have been made between Apple and European phone companies for a fall release of the iPhone. So far it looks like O2 for the UK, T-Mobile for Germany and Orange for France. This totally makes sense being that these three companies are the largest telecom companies in Europe. There have been some rumors that Vodaphone might get the iPhone, but they have yet to be confirmed. So…to all my friends in Europe be patient. ….you’ll have one by Christmas. You’re going to pay a little more though.. try Î450

http://bgeek.com/2007/07/05/iphone-due-to-hit-europe-in-november/

cheers!


ps. Im a lttle confused about this though. Vodafone UK has posted an iPhone page on their site, as echoed by many. Now it's O2 who's going to sell the phone in the UK? Which is the final seller, vodafone or o2?

[difenbaker]

hahaha... as if to answer my own question, this just came out.


O2 gets iPhone rights in UK
Thursday, July 5, 2007

O2 has beaten its rivals to win the exclusive UK rights to offer Apple’s iPhone. The tie-up, the mobile phone industry’s most sought-after deal in years, marks a major coup for the 18 million-customer group. The final contract is expected to be signed imminently.

The phone, which should be on sale in time for Christmas, is expected to prove a key weapon in enabling O2 to win and retain customers in one of Europe’s fiercest mobile markets.

It is understood that negotiations are continuing with mobile phone retailers including Carphone Warehouse over an agreement to sell the iPhone in their stores after a period of exclusivity with O2.

Shares of O2 ’s owner, Telefónica, of Spain, are expected to surge today on the back of the news.
The deal will come as a bitter disappointment to Vodafone, which had been tipped as the front-runner for the deal. Read more

http://iphonewave.blogspot.com/search/label/Apple%20iPhone%20News

cheers!

[carcomptoy]

Wow I actually do feel bad for Vodafone...

[JoN]

I'd rather have it on O2. Vodafone are too restrictive and i don't like their colour.

[carcomptoy]

What's wrong with red? Did you get into The Village too much?:p

[JoN]

haha! No, its just very gaudy and obtrusive.

[carcomptoy]

I guess to each his own...I would love to get the red N76 :o

[Jose_R.A.M]

O2? But their data plans/rates are awful. Or could this suggest that O2 maybe improving it when the "Holy"iPhone comes.

[carcomptoy]

Well, not like that happened with AT&T :rolleyes:

Honestly, Apple would have made even more sales if they didn't restrict themselves to AT&T of all things. It's disgusting that they did that really...

I would ALMOST buy one if I could use the iPhone on T-Mobile...I finally got to play with one yesterday, and I must admit it is cool, but a lot of things are cumbersome to do, and it really doesn't offer much over my E70 aside from YouTube and Coverflow. Everything else can be done, and even the automatic screen orientation doesn't work for everything, which was highly disappointing. And of course, the non-standard headphone jack is definitely a pain.

[difenbaker]

I think Apple wants to do with vodafone what it did with AT&T?


Vodafone put off by Apple's demand for big iPhone slice
Richard Wray, communications editor
Friday July 6, 2007
The Guardian

Apple is understood to be demanding that its European mobile phone partners hand over a significant proportion of revenues generated by the iPhone and restrict the content that users can access.

The portion of network revenues demanded by Apple is believed to have been behind Vodafone's decision not to sign up as the exclusive partner for the iPhone in the UK. That contract is understood to have been won by O2 although the mobile phone operator stressed that no deal has yet been signed.

Shares in Vodafone were slightly lower yesterday as investors bemoaned the fact that it will not have the device - which is flying off the shelves in the US after launching last week. The iPhone is expected to launch in November in the UK through O2, in France with Orange and in Germany with T-Mobile.

The expected success of O2 in getting the iPhone is a boost for Carphone Warehouse. It fell out with Vodafone last year and no longer connects customers to contracts with the operator.

The technology market analysis group iSuppli estimates that Apple is making a profit of almost $334 (£167) on each 8GB iPhone, which retails at $499, not including the cost of distribution and development. The firm estimates that up to 4.5m iPhones will be sold this year and more than 30m by 2011. Apple's own online iPhone availability checker showed all its US stores had sold out yesterday.

But Apple is not just making money through sales. It is demanding a slice of the revenues the wireless networks make from usage of the device. It is also restricting content that can be accessed.

In the past, mobile operators have cajoled handset manufacturers into putting buttons on their phones that access the network's own internet portal, where users can download games or buy music. With the iPhone, however, all the power rests with Apple.


http://technology.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,2120194,00.html

cheers!