T-Mobile CEO Hamid Akhavan, speaking to Focus, revealed that Big Magenta(TM) has sold 120,000 iPhone 3G units since it went on sale July 11. The breakdown included 75,000 for Germany with the remainder being gobbled up in the Netherlands and Austria.
This may sound small considering Apple previously reported 1 million iPhone 3Gs sold over launch weekend alone. However, AT&T has said the iPhone 3G was selling twice as fast as last year, which seems in line with these numbers, given T-Mo “only” managed to sell 100,000 of the first generation iPhone 2G during the two previous quarters combined. (Though bringing an EDGE handset to a trans-Euro 3G fight probably wasn’t a winning strategy back then, eh, Apple?)
Add these numbers together with the total 70+ launches scheduled for this year, and the probably huge holiday sales season still to come, and Apple might just make shatter that 10 million sales goal of theirs for this year– if not bite considerably into that rumored 45 million handset order for next…
If they can keep them in stock… and on network. Anyone using an iPhone 3G on T-Mobile? Easy to find on the shelves? Getting good data connections?
(via Ars Technica)
This one should get the iPhone-haters, WinMob Supporters, RIM Followers, and Treo Elderly (?) to come out of the woodworks. According to one of those reputable, old-timer print publications, Orange Poland has reportedly paid actors to line up for Poland’s release of our favorite toy, the iPhone 3G.
“We have these fake queues at front of 20 stores around the country to drum up interest in the iPhone,” a spokesman said
Supposedly it’s part of a marketing campaign to drive up interest in the iPhone 3G. I’m assuming the logic goes if people see that people want it, they’ll want it themselves…riiight. The competing carrier (Era aka T-Mobile Poland) which also distributes the iPhone 3G reportedly has no lines so I’m not sure if creating lines will create demand.
In fact, we at TiPb are fairly certain that many of us hate lines.
What do you think? Would you buy a product because it looks like it’s going to be popular? What do you think the ‘actors’ are going to do when Orange Poland asks for personal information? Is this the most ridiculous act of advertising ever?
ReadVia
Sister site WMExperts brings word that T-Mobile is raising the a la carte price of SMS text messages to an exorbitant $.20 per 160 characters (sadly, an industry average…) While they have their theories as to why tiny text qualifies for thousands of dollars per meg of data charges, others only really care about one thing:
A change in the terms of service may — just may — be a way for those of you stuck on contract with T-Mobile to get out of jail and into a sexay new iPhone 3G.
Whether T-Mobile lets you out or not will likely depend on who you talk to and how much you scream, but a chance is a chance. And could T-Mobile have had worse timing in providing that chance?
Nope.
On the Canadian front, GSM monopoly Rogers is still amending their iPhone info, after correcting the embarrassing typo that made it seem like the early termination fee was $1100 ($100 turned out to be correct). Now it’s info on non-iPhone specific plans, and warnings galore on off-plan data usage ($0.05/KB!) and roaming ($3/MB on plan). Clarified, however, is that using Visual Voice Mail won’t count towards your minutes or your miserly data cap.
Also interesting is the inclusion of anti-Jailbreak/Unlock verbiage:
Your iPhone is restricted to use on the Rogers network, unless you are roaming. If you attempt to unlock your iPhone and use it on another network, it may become permanently unusable. Making unauthorized modifications to the software on your iPhone violates the iPhone software license agreement, and any resulting inability to use your iPhone is not covered under your iPhone’s warranty.
Current German and Austrian iPhone carrier, T-Mobile pushes its way into the lowlands with news on their upcoming Netherlands iPhone 3G rates:
Cheaper plans start at €29,95 for 150 min, 150 SMS, and unlimited data, with €79.95 for an 8GB handset, and €159.95 for 16GB.
Premium plans end at €64.95 for 500/500/unlimited, with €1 for an 8GB and €19.95 for the 16GB.
T-Mobile WiFi Hotspot access is also thrown in gratis.
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Sure, O2 in the UK may be giving them away for free, but why quibble over a Euro-buck? That’s what T-Mobile Germany is counting on as they announced that Apple’s next generation iPhone 3G could be had for as little as €1 with a €69 a month contract. Want a 16GB model? Starts at €19.95 on a €89 monthly contract.
If you prefer more up front, less down the road, you can also pay your €169.5/€249.95 at the door and walk away with a tiny €29 contract.
Now why can’t AT&T — and closer to (my) home Rogers — learn from the Europeans?!?
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Could these be T-Mobile’s iPhone 3G rate plans? I couldn’t find them posted yet on T-Mobile’s site (and my German is nicht gooden anyway), but reader Germany iPhone User sent us a tip on the image below, so if this is them, then this is them!
Update: Turns out not so much (see comments below).
According to the image, plans come in small, medium, large, and extra large (XL) sizes, from €29 through €89, with 50 to 1000 minutes, free weekends, 0 to 500 SMS, with 500mb of data on the lowest plans, and unlimited on all the rest.
Likewise das cheapen plan will get you an iPhone 3G 8GB for €169 (or 16GB for €249) while einen XL will get you the 8GB free! (16GB for €99)
Apple Insider reports that, according to T-Mobile, the 3G iPhone is slated for immanent testing in Austria:
Specifically, a German-laguage report in derStandard.at states that officials from the carrier said a “UMTS version” of the iPhone would be made available in Austria “shortly,” and that the country would be one of just a handful to serve as a “testing” ground for the next-generation device.”
Why Austria and, most importantly, why UTMS and not the specific UTMS-extending protocol everyone and their Laporte bandies about in the US, HSDPA?
More controllable territory combined with more widely spread technology standard and deeper market penetration, perhaps? Or is this just T-Com talking out of their collective assumptions again?
What do you think?
The iPhone has now successfully stormed the mobile markets of both the Emerald Isle and the birthplace of the Oak. For those keeping track at home, this brings the official score card to:
| Europe |
North Am. |
South Am |
Asia |
Africa |
Oceania |
Antarctica |
| 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
(Not counting the massive gray market, ‘natch).
What makes the two newest iPhone launches unique, however, is that while hardware pricing is consistent with other EU countries, it looks like Austrians won’t be loving them some unlimited data any time soon, with T-Mobile caps firmly in place at 3GB. Of course, they’re still better off than their O2 bedeviled Irish launch-mates, who not only get even less data at a miserly 1GB, but also don’t get Visual Voicemail! (We should point out that, according to Apple Insider, use of Visual Voicemail in Austria will also count towards your 3GB of data!)
So are these capped data plans the future of iPhone? Are the European EDGE networks so obsoleted by 3G that they can’t handle more or is Apple being forced to concede on their data demands to get their units into more and more territories?
And now that 5 and 6 are settled, who’s in the running for 7? Apple COO Tim Cook did promise us Asia this year, which makes Japan (who knows about China?) a possibility. What about Australia? Scandinavia? Are we betting on Antarctica before data-gouged Canada? (I am!)
As we mentioned a couple of weeks ago, ever since the 1.4 firmware dropped, complete with a carrier reference for T-Mobile in Austria, we’ve known who will carry Herr Jobs’ miracle phone into its fifth European country. And now we know when!
Tomorrow, March 14th!
This revelations comes courtesy of Electronista (via Ars Technica) and the ever-lax security of T-Mobile private web pages (hit the aforementioned links for the screen caps).
The 8GB and 16GB versions will be available for €399 and €399 respectively, with rate plans ranging from €39 to €55, depending on the talk-time and SMS package. And unlike the Irish, it reportedly WILL rock Unlimited Data and Visual Voice Mail.
Austrian iPhone fans, better get in line now before the Governator buys them all!
