Apple selects O2 as exclusive carrier for iPhone in UK

[jjhellis]

http://news.independent.co.uk/sci_te...cle2973546.ece

[Footloose301]

thats cool. so they got the ipod touch too

[SpamSandwich]

I'll wait for the "official" announcement...

[drnat]

Dissapointed....!!

No 3G
No 16GB

I have an iPhone on O2 currently - data transfer is pretty slow really. Certainly don't get EDGE where I am, although there is 3G coverage

Will save my up-grade until next year then.....

Oh well.....non-event for me really....

[aegisdesign]

It's out November 9th online, Apple stores, O2 and Carphone Warehouse.

[SpinDrift]

The 02 service plans seem quite good too. Starting at £35/month including unlimited data and free WiFi via The Cloud. I did some searching around and there are quite a few hotspots even in my fairly rural area. You shouldn't have any problems getting a WiFi connection in larger Cities.

[aegisdesign]

O2 have almost no 3G service where I am too but oddly the pub down the road has a Cloud hotspot.

£269 for the phone though is silly. You can get an N95 for free.

I suspect there will be a lot of people getting an N95 on O2 for free, plus an iPhone at £269, switching the SIM to the iPhone and then selling the N95 on eBay.

[SpinDrift]

Originally Posted by aegisdesign

O2 have almost no 3G service where I am too but oddly the pub down the road has a Cloud hotspot.

£269 for the phone though is silly. You can get an N95 for free.

I suspect there will be a lot of people getting an N95 on O2 for free, plus an iPhone at £269, switching the SIM to the iPhone and then selling the N95 on eBay.

That's not a bad idea there Mr aegisdesign!

[aegisdesign]

I have them occasionally. :-)

We'll have to wait and see how the activation works but I'd guess if it's the same as the USA where you can buy a phone in an Apple Store without a plan and the plans are the same for all O2 customers as promised by the O2 CEO come Oct 1st then I think that should work. An N95 should get you back most if not all of the iPhone cost on eBay.

I'm also waiting to see what they do for business users as O2's business plans have things like unlimited free calls between handsets on the same business plan and shared data. Might be beneficial to me to buy two Nokia N95's and a 3G USB modem on their business plan and then two iPhones.

I'm still miffed the phone is the same as the US iPhone but if it's on O2 then around here their 3G coverage isn't an issue as there's none to speak of and free Cloud hotspot WiFi seems to be actually quite widespread where I might use it - for free.

[maxx66]

so you have an unlocked one on O2 currently? I'm cureious as to how the data actually works, do you just pay for data once you have used up your free data allowance? does it just work without any additional setup or anything?

[AppleInsider]

Apple and O2 announced Tuesday that O2, the leading wireless carrier in the UK, will be the exclusive UK carrier for Apple's iPhone when it makes its debut in the UK on November 9.*

“We’re thrilled to be partnering with O2 to offer our revolutionary iPhone to UK customers,”*said Apple chief executive Steve Jobs. “US iPhone customer satisfaction is off the charts, and we can’t wait to let UK customers get their hands on it and learn what they think of it.”

iPhone customers in the UK will be treated to the same iPhone activation experience as US customers, where they can use Apple's iTunes software to get the device up and running on O2's network from the comfort and privacy of their own home or office, rather than wait on long lines at the store.

In addition, UK customers will also receive all the revolutionary features that made iPhone so popular in the US, including access to Apple's recently launched iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store.

“Our strategy at O2 is to bring our customers the best products and experiences,” said Matthew Key, CEO, O2 UK.* “The iPhone is a breakthrough that is changing the way people use their mobiles forever, and we're thrilled to have it exclusively for O2 customers in the UK.”

Only a single model -- an 8GB iPhone -- is scheduled to go on sale for £269 on November 9, and will be sold exclusively in the UK through Apple’s retail and online stores, O2 and The Carphone Warehouse's retail and online stores.



Apple and O2 have come up with three new value iPhone tariffs starting at £35,*each of which include unlimited anytime, anywhere mobile data usage and -- in a market first -- free unlimited use of "the cloud," UK’s largest single public Wi-Fi network, covering over 7,500 cafes, restaurants, airport lounges, pubs and other locations across the UK.

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

[onceuponamac]

disappointed no 3g - it would be interesting to know why apple doesn't think consumers would be willing to pay for 3g and 16gb even if a shorter battery life ...

[MarkAllan]

I'm on O2 just now with a 20quid/month tariff which gives 500 SMS, 500 offpeak cross-network mins and 500 WAP minutes (not that I'm ever aware of having used those!) which is a pretty damn good deal, and far better value for money than the new iPhone tariff offerings. I'd love to think that I could just buy an iPhone and pop my current sim card in and stick with my existing contract.

Also, why does no-one ever mention Apple's over inflated prices at these press Q&A things?

[dfiler]

Originally Posted by onceuponamac

disappointed no 3g - it would be interesting to know why apple doesn't think consumers would be willing to pay for 3g and 16gb even if a shorter battery life ...

Isn't it more likely that they simply think the market is bigger for a long-battery-life 2.5G version? But go ahead and think that Apple thinks 3G is worthless if that makes you happy.

[Fairly]

Go for it, suckers.

[murphyweb]

Just cannot see this flying off the shelves, when you can get some better 3G phones from Nokia and Sony for zero upfront costs why would people shell out 270 quid for an iPhone ?

Apple really should have closed a deal with a carrier for a 24 month contract subsidised phone at zero cost - that is how phones are sold in the UK and it is gonna take something better that the 1st gen iPhone to change it.

[Ireland]

I may be waiting another year or so, but I wont buy until I see 3G and 16GB of storage. I doubt I'm alone on this either.

[murphyweb]

Originally Posted by dfiler

Isn't it more likely that they simply think the market is bigger for a long-battery-life 2.5G version? But go ahead and think that Apple thinks 3G is worthless if that makes you happy.

Are you then suggesting that Apple understand more about the UK mobile phone market that Nokia or SonyEriccson ?

You see these companies produce phones that are 3G and yet have a decent battery life, they have text messaging features that customers use but the iPhone does not support, they have MMS, again a popular feature that the Iphone does not support. But you presume that Apple know better? What do you base this assumption on?

[nvidia2008]

iPhone unlock anyone?

[yama]

Aaah, shame the contract starts at £35 (even though the "unlimited internet" bit seems like a fairly good deal). I was hoping you'd be able to choose one of their cheaper plans starting at £15 a month

[NOFEER]

what happened to O2 stock??? that would give some insight as to investors thoughts as to n95 vs iphone....is the n95 better ???at what over the iphone?

[rols]

Originally Posted by Ireland

I may be waiting another year or so, but I wont buy until I see 3G and 16GB of storage. I doubt I'm alone on this either.

you're not. I'm actually out in Asia and we're expecting the thing in about 6 months, if it's not 3G by then, I can keep my sony ericcson until it is.

other things I'd just love to see (greedy boy I am) is wifi bonjour type connection to my home network for itunes sync etc, much like appleTV does. With only 16G, I'd need to refresh the songs on it quite often.

Everything comes to those who wait, they'll do it.

[yama]

Originally Posted by MarkAllan

Also, why does no-one ever mention Apple's over inflated prices at these press Q&A things?

Because the price of *everything* in the UK is vastly over inflated compared to the US

I'd be interested to know if you could buy an iPhone in the US and activate it with O2 in the UK without too much grief from Apple.

[OdLott]

My, these sure are expensive prices. They took the expression "Rip-off Britain" too literally methinks.

[nvidia2008]

For the record, my Sony Ericsson v600i lasts only say 70% of the 100% I get with 2G voice-no data only. And I am talking about standby time here.

Whatever SJ's sleight of hand and RDF is on this matter, 3G does chew up more battery. It is a convenient admittedly a little devious, way to flow out the current iPhone models to Europe without having to release a new model until Asia 2008.

[dfiler]

Originally Posted by murphyweb

Are you then suggesting that Apple understand more about the UK mobile phone market that Nokia or SonyEriccson ?

You see these companies produce phones that are 3G and yet have a decent battery life, they have text messaging features that customers use but the iPhone does not support, they have MMS, again a popular feature that the Iphone does not support. But you presume that Apple know better? What do you base this assumption on?

Where the hell did that come from? You're making up an assertion, projecting it onto someone, and then arguing against it?

[Rot'nApple]

Originally Posted by murphyweb

Are you then suggesting that Apple understand more about the UK mobile phone market that Nokia or SonyEriccson ?

You see these companies produce phones that are 3G and yet have a decent battery life, they have text messaging features that customers use but the iPhone does not support, they have MMS, again a popular feature that the Iphone does not support. But you presume that Apple know better? What do you base this assumption on?

Maybe the assumption is based on Apple's experience with selling computers in the US and abroad. Sure you can get a Nokia or SonyEriccson phone for free with other features, just like you can get a Dell or Gateway computer for less money with other features. Sure you can get a better phone plan with more minutes. Just like you can get more software title options for the PC over the Mac.

Although Apple's first attemt may not have all the bells and whistles that the Nokia or SonyEriccson's umpteenth version of their phone does. If it did, people would still be bitching that it is lacking something and then they would be bitching that the iPhone version 2.0 only had a speed bump or a slight increase in strorage - bummer - pitiful upgrade / update, they would say!

Apple is going for user experience just as it has done with it's computer marriage of hardware and software. Such as registering your plan online through iTunes in the privacy of your home. A phone on a version of OS X. A philosophy of adding functions and buttons via software updates to keep your investment for the most part, current and up to date. A web browser that gives you viewing the web better than before.

Does this iPhone please all people everywhere with everything. Certainly not, but it's a start... it's Apple's first start... and just like the iPod, let's see where this thing goes in five years.

[heffeque]

It's a shame that Apple is not doing what it's supposed to:

• making Leopard work correctly
• renewing the MacBooks
• making an intermediate laptop between the MacBook and the MacBook Pro
• renewing the MacMinis...

Instead they are trying to sell iPhones with overpriced plans with an inferior and unsupported format (crappy EDGE instead of the widely available 3G and 3.5G) and locked to one single operator that coincides to be the one that "steals" money all over the world with abusive tariffs (Telefónica from Spain).

Sad :-( I'm starting not to be as happy with Apple anymore :-(

[anantksundaram]

Originally Posted by dfiler

Where the hell did that come from? You're making up an assertion, projecting it onto someone, and then arguing against it?

[anantksundaram]

Can't believe all the people complaining about the £269 price.

The US$ price of $400 + 18% tax = £236 (at $2/£). Factor in the substantially higher costs of distribution (e.g., ever tried to send out a Fedex package in the UK versus the US?), real estate, and employees in the UK , and the £ price seems quite reasonable.

[solipsism]

Originally Posted by SpinDrift

The 02 service plans seem quite good too. Starting at £35/month including unlimited data and free WiFi via The Cloud. I did some searching around and there are quite a few hotspots even in my fairly rural area. You shouldn't have any problems getting a WiFi connection in larger Cities.

This is a benefit I hope occurs with Starbucks in the US once the T-Mobile contract is over. I'd like to see AT&T (or Apple) take over and offer free Wi-Fi for iPhone users. But I doubt this will happen.

Originally Posted by murphyweb

Just cannot see this flying off the shelves, when you can get some better 3G phones from Nokia and Sony for zero upfront costs why would people shell out 270 quid for an iPhone ?

Apple really should have closed a deal with a carrier for a 24 month contract subsidised phone at zero cost - that is how phones are sold in the UK and it is gonna take something better that the 1st gen iPhone to change it.

O2 has the most customers in the UK of any carrier and the largest EDGE coverage and worst 3G coverage, from what I've read, so perhaps some customers will prefer a better experience over a faster one. Car Analogy Warning: Rolls Royce vs. Lamborghini :

The free/nearly-free phone with contract subsidization gimmick is also the way phones are sold in the States. If you haven't noticed yet, Apple is trying to stop this. You pay for the phone outright and sign no contract upfront. You have no obligation to ever activate your iPhone. It's up to you activate it via iTunes at your convenience.

As I've read, unlimited data plans and 7500 free Wi-Fi hotspots organized by your cell phone manufacturer also isn't the way things are done in the UK, but I don't hear you complaining about that.

Originally Posted by yama

I'd be interested to know if you could buy an iPhone in the US and activate it with O2 in the UK without too much grief from Apple.

Yes, some people are already doing this with the SIM unlock, thought Visual Voicemail is not active. There should be no HW differences between the iPhones come 09-NOV. Any SW differences will be done in the iPhone's OS via language localization or auto configured by your iTunes country selection. In other words, it won't be a problem. If you are in the States then pick yourself one. Or a dozen and a make a few bucks on eBay when you get home.

[solipsism]

Originally Posted by anantksundaram

Can't believe all the people complaining about the £269 price.

The US$ price of $400 + 18% tax = £236 (at $2/£). Factor in the substantially higher costs of distribution (e.g., ever tried to send out a Fedex package in the UK versus the US?), real estate, and employees in the UK , and the £ price seems quite reasonable.

Where do you pay 18% in taxes?

Plus, I really don't see how bulk order items from China to the US or China to the UK would be much different in price. I don't have the luxury of knowing what Apple get charged by customs, perhaps that is a factor.

[yama]

Originally Posted by solipsism

Yes, some people are already doing this with the SIM unlock, thought Visual Voicemail is not active. There should be no HW differences between the iPhones come 09-NOV. Any SW differences will be done in the iPhone's OS via language localization or auto configured by your iTunes country selection. In other words, it won't be a problem. If you are in the States then pick yourself one. Or a dozen and a make a few bucks on eBay when you get home.

Heh. I'll see if I can get the bosses to organise a "business" trip or something

[aegisdesign]

Originally Posted by MarkAllan

I'm on O2 just now with a 20quid/month tariff which gives 500 SMS, 500 offpeak cross-network mins and 500 WAP minutes (not that I'm ever aware of having used those!) which is a pretty damn good deal, and far better value for money than the new iPhone tariff offerings. I'd love to think that I could just buy an iPhone and pop my current sim card in and stick with my existing contract.

I don't see why not. Phones are usually locked to a carrier, not a specific SIM. People got around the iTunes registration in the USA and used other AT&T SIMs.

Originally Posted by dfiler

Isn't it more likely that they simply think the market is bigger for a long-battery-life 2.5G version? But go ahead and think that Apple thinks 3G is worthless if that makes you happy.

Do pay attention. At the launch O2 have 30% coverage with an EDGE network. Up until a few months back they had 0%.

3G coverage of the UK is about 97% of the population although O2's 3G coverage lags behind Vodafone, T-Mobile and Orange. They've no coverage where I live. I've got borderline 3G with Orange and T-mobile.

Simple maths says 3G is a larger market. But go ahead and think that 30% is bigger than 97% if it makes you happy.

Originally Posted by yama

Aaah, shame the contract starts at £35 (even though the "unlimited internet" bit seems like a fairly good deal). I was hoping you'd be able to choose one of their cheaper plans starting at £15 a month

Since you buy the phone and activate it out of the shop it remains to be seen if you can't just stick in any O2 SIM without signing up to a contract.

Originally Posted by Rot'nApple

A web browser that gives you viewing the web better than before.

I presume you're not aware that the Nokia N95 uses Apple's WebKit engine for it's browser. It renders pages exactly the same as Safari on the iPhone, except Nokia also support Flash, and an N95 on O2 is FREE and doesn't require as expensive a plan as the iPhone.

Originally Posted by anantksundaram

Can't believe all the people complaining about the £269 price.

The US$ price of $400 + 18% tax = £236 (at $2/£). Factor in the substantially higher costs of distribution (e.g., ever tried to send out a Fedex package in the UK versus the US?), real estate, and employees in the UK , and the £ price seems quite reasonable.

I mentioned this in another thread. It's only about 30 quid more than the US price before tax. People always forget the US price is before tax and UK is after tax.

As to Fedex - cost of posting something from Boulder, CO, US to UK - $24. Cost to send it back via our Royal Mail - $4.50 and it got there quicker. Fedex are just expensive.

[aegisdesign]

Originally Posted by solipsism

Where do you pay 18% in taxes?

Plus, I really don't see how bulk order items from China to the US or China to the UK would be much different in price. I don't have the luxury of knowing what Apple get charged by customs, perhaps that is a factor.

UK VAT is 17.5%, therefore an iPhone at direct US$ to sterling conversion + UK tax would be about £236. So, £269 is only a £33 premium.

UK Import tax is probably more than into the USA, plus you pay VAT after import tax has been added not before. Import taxes differ depending on where it's being imported from and the type of products.

[solipsism]

Originally Posted by heffeque

It's a shame that Apple is not doing what it's supposed to:

• making Leopard work correctly
• renewing the MacBooks
• making an intermediate laptop between the MacBook and the MacBook Pro
• renewing the MacMinis...

Instead they are trying to sell iPhones with overpriced plans with an inferior and unsupported format (crappy EDGE instead of the widely available 3G and 3.5G) and locked to one single operator that coincides to be the one that "steals" money all over the world with abusive tariffs (Telefónica from Spain).

Sad :-( I'm starting not to be as happy with Apple anymore :-(

Then be sad... despite the MacMini recently being updated to 64-bit C2Ds with a minimum of 1GB RAM, Airport Extreme Base Stations getting gigabit ethernet, MacBooks being updated in May 2007, and the latest Leopard build works great for me.

I've never heard anyone ask for an "intermediate" laptop between the MacBook and Pro. I've read many wanting a sub-notebook and gamers wanting a configurable choice smaller than the Mac Pro, but never a choice between the two MacBooks types.

As for your last paragraph, there are just too many fallacies to contend with so I'll leave it at: Bollocks!

[onceuponamac]

I wonder why that date and not sooner - hope springs eternal for an updated device..

[solipsism]

Originally Posted by aegisdesign

UK VAT is 17.5%, therefore an iPhone at direct US$ to sterling conversion + UK tax would be about £236. So, £269 is only a £33 premium.

UK Import tax is probably more than into the USA, plus you pay VAT after import tax has been added not before. Import taxes differ depending on where it's being imported from and the type of products.

Thanks for clearing that up. That is a whole lot of taxes.

[aegisdesign]

Originally Posted by solipsism

O2 has the most customers in the UK of any carrier and the largest EDGE coverage and worst 3G coverage, from what I've read, so perhaps some customers will prefer a better experience over a faster one. Car Analogy Warning: Rolls Royce vs. Lamborghini :

You read wrong. Opposite way round. No EDGE coverage officially until today where they announced 30%. Pretty good 3G coverage. Orange have the best EDGE coverage.

Originally Posted by solipsism

The free/nearly-free phone with contract subsidization gimmick is also the way phones are sold in the States. If you haven't noticed yet, Apple is trying to stop this. You pay for the phone outright and sign no contract upfront. You have no obligation to ever activate your iPhone. It's up to you activate it via iTunes at your convenience.

What use is an unactivated iPhone?

The point is, you can get a Nokia N95 for a lower priced contract for FREE and it has more features than the iPhone (good 5mp camera, GPS inc Sat Nav etc) yet Apple want us to spend £269 and more on a contract. Huh?

Originally Posted by solipsism

As I've read, unlimited data plans and 7500 free Wi-Fi hotspots organized by your cell phone manufacturer also isn't the way things are done in the UK, but I don't hear you complaining about that.

It is on t-mobile and it's not Apple organising the hot spots. O2 partnered with the Cloud network way before Apple. The only difference now is O2 tariffs now come with a free data and hotspot element whereas before it would cost you a ridiculous £45 per month for the unlimited data and £12 a month for hotspot access on top of your voice/text plan.

So, O2's tariffs are only coming in to line with T-Mobile and Vodafone's. The hotspot access is nice though.

Originally Posted by solipsism

Yes, some people are already doing this with the SIM unlock, thought Visual Voicemail is not active. There should be no HW differences between the iPhones come 09-NOV. Any SW differences will be done in the iPhone's OS via language localization or auto configured by your iTunes country selection. In other words, it won't be a problem. If you are in the States then pick yourself one. Or a dozen and a make a few bucks on eBay when you get home.

You won't though. It's £200 in the USA and £269 here. Customs will slap on import duty and VAT. Then you've got to unlock them and who knows what else Apple have done to the international version.

[reidconti]

I'm sure that $4.50 to ship from the uk to boulder, co isn't in any way subsidized by your taxes, huh?

I love how the uk'ers here are utterly ignoring the fact that people can get free phones here in the states, too, yet some of us still elect to pay more to get what we want. Stop rehashing last January's arguments. Maybe if apple had only renamed it the iMobile..