Details of the iPhone’s launch in the UK is spilling out rapidly, and O2 are making some last changes in preparation for iPhone’s arrival. Their CEO granted an interview that gives a peek into Apple’s carrier selection process. O2 has changed the way that they deal with limited “unlimited” plans — they still limit them, but at least they will give users a warning before they punt people away. And lastly, UK gadget magazine tried out the iPhone for a while, and they have information about the 1.1.2, the upcoming firmware update and iTunes 7.5.
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Engadget posted up a briefly leaked document from T-Mobile.de that indicates costs and charges for T-Mobile Germany unlimited data plans for the iPhone. There are three tiers — a 200MB tier (M), a 1GB tier (L), and a 5GB tier (XL).
They’re not as unlimited as I’d like, and it looks like they cap your data speeds at about 25% once you pass your download limit, but it’s a start — the other option is to charge you out the nose for exceeding your data limit.
I think my new favorite bit about the international iPhone is how it forces carriers (or operators or whatever) to have a conversation about what manner of data plan and minutes plan the iPhone will be paired with. That, and the promise of a fully unlocked iPhone someday. My two new favorite bits about the international iPhone….
Apple finally confirmed that Orange would be the carrier for the iPhone in France. The iPhone will be sold on Orange’s website and in Orange’s retail stores for €399, which is around $566 American. Information on plans has not yet been determined or revealed. They did set an official date, however: November 29th. It is widely expected that the iPhone will retail for a higher price if sold without a contract as required by French law.
figure 1: Apple and Orange?
It was widely expected that Apple would have some happy things to say about the iPhone and French mobile operator Orange last week at Apple Expo Paris. But, the expo came and went without any sort of iPhone news whatsoever. It looks like we may now know the reason why.
Apple may have problems with a French law that
“would require the iPhone to be sold both with and without contracts, undermining its exclusivity for Orange and Apple’s demand of up to 30 per cent of voice and data revenues”
Clearly, the only option here is to not sell the iPhone at all and wait for the law to change. Instead of charging the no-contract folks an extra $150 or €150 or whatever and skip the revenue sharing. Doing that would require weeks upon weeks of delays. It’s practically not worth it at that point. Why even bother? [via]
Arun Sarin, CEO of Vodaphone, is “absolutely” confident that they’ll get a second chance to distribute the iPhone somewhere in the world. Anywhere, really. He’s still bullish on the 3G iPhone. By the time Apple comes out with one, I’m not sure what major markets will be left for a contract. Asia maybe?
It looks like Norway, Finland, and Sweden may be the next countries to get the iPhone. Apple is reportedly in talks with both TeliaSonera and Telenor to determine who will be the carrier for the iPhone in their respective countries. It’s regarded as likely that TeliaSonera will win Sweden and Finland and Telenor will be the carrier in Norway. Representatives from Telenor noted that the iPhone is unlikely to come out on their network this year.
Didier Lombard, the CEO of Orange, confirmed that Orange would be the sole provider of the iPhone in France. He didn’t reveal any details at all, merely confirming that they were not going to subsidize the cost of the handset. Rumors have indicated that unlimited data will not be part of the deal.
He’s probably going to let Steve reveal that information at Apple Expo Paris (Google Translated)next week. Hopefully for Lombard’s sake, he didn’t reveal any secrets that Steve Jobs wanted to reveal himself; I know that he’s punished partners for revealing his secrets before — ATi was punished around July 2000 for leaking that new iMacs and PowerMacs were coming.
One day after Apple confirmed that they will partner with O2 in the U.K., it was announced that Apple will partner with T-Mobile in Germany for sales of the iPhone. The iPhone will be available on November 9 for €399 and requires a 2 year contract. It doesn’t appear that the plan details are available yet, so they might still be working those plans out — T-Mobile’s Deutchland site doesn’t have much information, just the typical marketing spiel. You heard Steve say it all in January: ein revolutionäres Telefon, ein Breitbild iPod, und ein wegweisendes Internetgerät, right?
At their “Mum is no longer the word” event yesterday, it was confirmed that Apple will partner with O2 to bring the iPhone to the UK. The iPhone will go on sale November 9, and will be available from Apple’s retail stores, as well as O2’s stores and Carphone Warehouse locations. The 8GB model will sell for £269, and the plans include unlimited data as well. I’m glad to see that unlimited data and prepaid minutes made their way across the pond, as confirmed by the pricing chart below. Given how the Europeans like their texting, I wonder if the amount of SMS messages will be enough.
UPDATE: If you’re in the UK and looking for a price breakdown that’s relevant to you,
this is probably a good place to start.
figure 1: a picture like this is much less dramatic now that the iPhone is unlockable.
A picture of the iPhone linked to BMW’s iPhone stereo surface showed up on BMW’s website, and it shows Vodaphone’s network logo instead of T-Mobile’s.
There have been rumors that T-Mobile has clinched the deal in Germany. And yet, here we have the above photo. My understanding was that Vodaphone would get the territories not covered by Orange, O2, and T-Mobile, but we won’t know until Apple says for sure. Which they’ll probably do at their “Mum is No Longer the Word” event tomorrow. Failing that, there’s Apple Expo Paris a week or so later. [via]
