European iPhone: 3G on Multiple Carriers

[piccolomondo]

A European 3G version of the iPhone will be launched Monday in the UK on Vodafone, T-Mobile Germany, and virtual network operator Carphone Warehouse.

The iPhone has faced some criticism in the US for only being available on AT&T, whose network is not highly regarded for its high speed capabilities. iPhone, with its heavy focus on multimedia, is designed to work best on faster networks. Thus, the European strategy is a sharp contrast, offering multiple carriers and taking advantage of the higher quality data network enjoyed by those across the pond.

The American version of the iPhone utilizes 2G technology.

[source]

[piccolomondo]

CNET reports: Apple's iPhone a tougher sell in Europe?

Apple's learning fairly quickly that Europe is a very different place, especially when it comes to mobile phones. The iPhone went on sale Wednesday through wireless carrier Orange in France, marking the third European country to carry the phone within its borders. The launch also marked the debut of the third pricing strategy for the iPhone in the three countries: France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

It appears that at least for a while, the iPhone is going to move more slowly for Apple in Europe. [...]

The entire wireless industry is trying to figure out what to do about Apple's iPhone. But Apple has to do a better job figuring out how to navigate the complicated minefield that is the international wireless industry. A strategy that works in this country won't necessarily work in other places; just ask Dell, Disney, or the National Football League. [...]

And from Ovum's EuroView Daily Comment: Orange says 'Bonjour' to the iPhone

The iPhone launched nationwide in France today on the Orange network, following a limited release yesterday evening. The device costs €399 on an iPhone tariff, with various other options also available, including unlocking. In addition, T-Mobile Germany has begun selling an unlocked version of the iPhone. [...]

[piccolomondo]

iPhone popularity US vs. Europe

USA beats Europe hands down when it comes to iPhone sales.
Apple had sold 270,000 units of iPhones in the first week of sales in US. But, the sales in Europe has been slow due to competition from the smart devices of the local favorite, Nokia. The sales numbers at the end of around one week of sales are:

France : 30,000
Germany : 10,000

[via techcrunchies]

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Apple unveils its iPhone
Well, this Friday is the release of the iPhone and if you think the media is buying into the hype, you ain't seen nothin': this guy started standing.

[piccolomondo]

iPhone humour

[The Telegraph]

[piccolomondo]

Officially unlocked iPhones not really unlocked

When the iPhone went on sale in France in November, French law required Orange, the local iPhone retailer, to sell a "carrier-independent" phone. This "unlocked" phone is priced at €749 instead of the standard €399. iPhone Atlas is reporting that the unlocked phones aren't fully unlocked, but are instead country-locked to French carriers only.

I'm not a French lawyer, but this would seem to comply with the "carrier-independent" requirement in a wonderfully perverse and legalistic way, souring the plans of many resellers who wanted to go to bring back loads of unlocked phones from France. Can any of our French readers confirm this?

Valleywag asks.

[piccolomondo]

The iPhone is acting as a catalyst for a widespread mobile web surfing in Europe and the US.

Matthew Key, chief executive of O2 Europe, told the Financial Times that 60 per cent of the company's iPhone customers in the UK were sending or receiving more than 25 megabytes of data a month, the equivalent of 7,500 e-mails without attachments or 25 YouTube videos.

iPhone customers in the UK pay flat-rate monthly tariffs of up to £55 that give them unlimited data usage.

Network operators hope the iPhone will unlock billions of dollars in mobile advertising revenue,
from $2bn now to $11.3bn by 2011.

[piccolomondo]

iPhone - Expected number of sales by end of 2007

Apple sold 1 million iPhones in 74 days around the same time it dropped the price to $399 from $599.

Expected number of sales by end of 2007: 5 million.
Contribution of sales from Europe: 1 million.

Apple's target by the end of 2008: 10 million iPhones.