Apple UK to host special (iPhone?) event next week
Apple is calling on the UK press for a special media presentation next week to be held at the company's flagship retail store in London, reports Macworld UK.
Digital invites to the event simply state that: "Mum is no longer the word", and ask media and analysts to show up at 10:00 a.m., Tuesday 18 September, for a press conference.
It's widely expected that Apple will use the gathering to reveal long-awaited plans to brings its sleek, touch-screen iPhone handset to select parts of Europe.
In speaking to Reuters, an Apple spokesman in Germany would say only that the company plans to announce which wireless carriers had clinched deals to offer the handset by the end of September.
Reports have suggested that the US-based consumer electronics giant has struck a UK deal with Spanish Telefonica's O2 UK unit, a German deal with Deutsche Telekom's T-Mobile and a French deal with France Telecom's Orange.
In the unlikely event that Apple is not yet ready to reveal its European iPhone plans, Macworld UK believes that another scenario for the event could be the launch an extended television or film service in the UK.
"The company could also be ready to add Beatles to iTunes," the publication added, "although the general consensus is that these scenarios would involve either a world-wide announcement, or a different venue to the Apple store."
Digital invites to the event simply state that: "Mum is no longer the word", and ask media and analysts to show up at 10:00 a.m., Tuesday 18 September, for a press conference.
It's widely expected that Apple will use the gathering to reveal long-awaited plans to brings its sleek, touch-screen iPhone handset to select parts of Europe.
In speaking to Reuters, an Apple spokesman in Germany would say only that the company plans to announce which wireless carriers had clinched deals to offer the handset by the end of September.
Reports have suggested that the US-based consumer electronics giant has struck a UK deal with Spanish Telefonica's O2 UK unit, a German deal with Deutsche Telekom's T-Mobile and a French deal with France Telecom's Orange.
In the unlikely event that Apple is not yet ready to reveal its European iPhone plans, Macworld UK believes that another scenario for the event could be the launch an extended television or film service in the UK.
"The company could also be ready to add Beatles to iTunes," the publication added, "although the general consensus is that these scenarios would involve either a world-wide announcement, or a different venue to the Apple store."
Comments
But, only if the headset has the same possibility of unlocking that the american version do
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I think that the TV and Film offerings for iTunes in the UK is a poor excuse and maybe they were testing the water over here to see how much interest was generated. I reckon they'll be doing a deal with the BBC (affectionately known as 'Auntie' in the UK - so could be a play on words, perhaps...) and giving us Brits more download options. Especially now that all of the iPods, minus the shuffle, offer video support.
Yeah, I was wondering about the wordplay/puns on "mum."
Any speculations from our wordsmithing pals from across the pond?
I am expecting both an 8 and a 16 Gb iPhone model to debut here. There's no confirmed launch date, because it all hinges on the availability of flash memory modules and there's been a bit of a problem with availability. What is known is that the larger capacity 16 Gb chip wasn't ready before now. Now that it is being produced in volume, expect it to be added to US iPhone line-up very soon and well in-time for Christmas.
More important, I am expecting a 3G version of the iPhone for the EU to follow very quickly, certainly within 6 months of the 2.5G version being launched. Unlike the USA, I don't think Apple will achieve the same level of success in Europe without a 3G iPhone.
If the 3G version isn't ready now, and I don't think it is, I expect it to become available shortly after Christmas - it has to arrive sooner rather than later before competitors catch up. And believe me when I say that Nokia, Samsung, Sony-Ericsson and Motorola are all working on iPhone killers.
So, the most likely iPhone EU launch scenario is a 2.5G version that gves market exclusivity to O2, T-Mobil and Orange in UK, Germany and France for a limited time, say 3-months. Then an exclusive 3G launch across Europe with Vodafone in January 2008.
I suspect that both 2.5G and 3G iPhones will be sold in parallel. You heard it here first.
I hope this U.K. event is a European announcement, and not just a U.K. one.
I'd bet just the U.K.. I thinking the iPhone and additional video content for the U.K. iTunes store.
I would assume that approval, or pending approval, would have leaked to the press.
Yeah, I was wondering about the wordplay/puns on "mum."
Any speculations from our wordsmithing pals from across the pond?
I just read it as they're going to stop keeping ___ a secret, and announce it to the world. So plenty of speculation on what ___ actually is!
Alternatively, it could tie in with the iPhone, as if mum isn't the word then you're going to talk about something, and what better way to do that than on the phone.
But I may be missing an interpretation. Anyone else any ideas?
Amorya
... Reports have suggested that the US-based consumer electronics giant has struck a UK deal with Spanish Telefonica's O2 UK unit, a German deal with Deutsche Telekom's T-Mobile and a French deal with France Telecom's Orange.
Does anyone have an idea/opinion of how the operator selection for Scandinavia might play out?
We've got loads of carriers and are swamped with bandwidth/phones and general saturation in the mobile segment.
But but and yet more buts, the market is fragmented quite competitive relative small populations no real pervasive operators. For Denmark at least, it's not allowed to bind customers to a contract running more than 6 months.
My opinion concerning a deal between Apple and an operator might be either Telia Sonera or Telenor. Then again what do you guys think?
Oh, - and yes, I do think the event in London will be concerning iPhone.
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p.s: I unlocked my iPhone last night
"The company could also be ready to add Beatles to iTunes," the publication added, "although the general consensus is that these scenarios would involve either a world-wide announcement, or a different venue to the Apple store."
i doubt apple will introduce the Beatles before they have the chance to introduce George Harrison.
i'm suspecting that they wish to introduce the former Beatles members as individual artists -- John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and then George Harrison. they're each great performers on their own. i think when George Harrison is introduce, the Beatles will follow. that's assuming that a deal to carry Beatles on iTunes actually happened.
Does anyone have an idea/opinion of how the operator selection for Scandinavia might play out?
We've got loads of carriers and are swamped with bandwidth/phones and general saturation in the mobile segment.
But but and yet more buts, the market is fragmented quite competitive relative small populations no real pervasive operators. For Denmark at least, it's not allowed to bind customers to a contract running more than 6 months.
My opinion concerning a deal between Apple and an operator might be either Telia Sonera or Telenor. Then again what do you guys think?
Oh, - and yes, I do think the event in London will be concerning iPhone.
=========================
p.s: I unlocked my iPhone last night
Well, if you search for iPhone on telenor.se, you'll get an amusing answer. And Telenor has started selling iPods and Macbooks in their stores. So I'm definatly going for Telenor as the operator, at least in Sweden.
Of course, everyone who has been here for a while knows that I NEVER have controversial opinions.
With the announcement of the European iPhone coming so close to the drop in price for the one here (again, assuming that that's what will be announced), I believe that the price drop is directly involved.
If it is to be believed, the European carriers have been reluctant to agree to Apple's financial demands. If the high price of the phone would be a deterrent to sales there, the companies would have a good reason to demur. But, if the sales could be higher, they might not be so reluctant. Dropping the price by 33% could have been the icing on the cake that Apple offered during the negotiations. The possibility of pulling customers from other networks, as is happening here could be a good incentive, IF those numbers would be high enough, as could now be the case at the lowered price.
Even if Apple now adds 3G, and has a higher price, that price would still be lower than what such a phone would have commanded before the price drop.
We have seen the estimates about how the price drop increased sales over here. These companies can see this as well as we can, and this could have been the final push that closed the deals.
Of course, even if this announcement ISN'T about the iPhone, and that comes later, I still believe that the price drop may very well have been intended partly to finish the deals.
"Mum's the word" is an English saying, meaning "please stop talking ( about something)".
So ... "Mum is no longer the word" means "start talking"
To my simple-minded mind, that suggests iPhone more than it does Beatles or Movies.
If it is iPhone, I still am not sure how it will be sold in the UK. The UK market is a different world.
Let's play a quick hand of Cringely......
With only a handful of Apple stores in the UK, Apple will need retail and network partners. I am gonna bet on 3G handsets (with a camera on the front) and Carphone Warehouse having some sort of exclusive.
C.
Yeah, I was wondering about the wordplay/puns on "mum."
Any speculations from our wordsmithing pals from across the pond?
There really isn't much to the OED that we don't know in common language. If the BBC is also called "auntie" (which really isn't a mum or mom, from my side of the pond) then I think we be reading too much into this.
I would love a 3G iPhone as I will in London on the 28th and will be waiting in line in the early morning just in case like a typicl fanboy zealot. I'll still use AT&T back in the states as I want Visual Voicemal, but 3 G would be great.
But I don't think that will happen despite Apple's apparent breakneck speed to release new phones and lower prices to gain a firm foundation in the cell market. Perhaps the reason for the price drop is because of a 3G 8 and/or 16GB version coming at the $599 (not doing £ conversion) next week to the EU. If so, I'll certainly be buying that one....or more if they aren't sold in the states.
I suspect that both 2.5G and 3G iPhones will be sold in parallel. You heard it here first.
8GB EDGE version for $200 less than the 16GB UMTS version. That sounds like a good plan.
I really want some insight into how this SIMunlock is affecting the carriers. They stand to lose a lot of revenue and if my calculations are correct, so is Apple as 24 months of dues is pure profit lost.