T-Mobile says over 10,000 iPhones sold at German launch

[AppleInsider]

T-Mobile, the mobile services arm of Deutsche Telekom, said Friday it has sold more than 10,000 iPhones on the first day the touch-screen handsets were made available in Germany.

The iPhones were purchased via the company's retail stores and over the Web, T- Mobile said, adding that it is "well prepared" to meet further high demand.

Speaking in a television interview Thursday, company's chief executive Rene Obermann said it's possible demand in Germany for iPhones during the Christmas sales season may outstrip supply.

T-Mobile's upbeat comments arrive in stark contrast to observations published Friday by media outlet Reuters, which insinuated that the German launch was lackluster at best.

While a few hundred "hardcore fans" lined up at a Deutsche Telekom retail store in Cologne, Germans in downtown Frankfurt reportedly lived up to their reputation for thrift and resistance to hype.

Outside the T-Mobile store on Frankfurt's main shopping street, people hurried to work without noticing the placards outside the shop proclaiming the iPhone's arrival, according to Reuters.

"Really? No, I had no idea," said one woman, declining to stop to give her name when asked whether she was aware the iPhone went on sale on Friday.

iPhone launches in Germany.

MacNotes.de publishes a photo gallery from the launch.

Shoppers in Cologne pack a Deutsche Telekom retail store.

Meanwhile, one solitary would-be buyer loitered outside the shop an hour and a half before opening time.

"I'm astonished there's no one else here," said 34-year-old Uwe Berger, a computer programmer who fell in love with the iPhone on a recent visit to the United States.

"I don't find the price too high. The iPhone can do more than other phones and of course it's much better."

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

[Delfoniq]

Wow...! Not excited about the iPhone sales as much as about the picture in the middle .
Looking forward to the UK launch, and similar pictures from there of course .

[ncee]

Originally Posted by Delfoniq

Wow...! Not excited about the iPhone sales as much as about the picture in the middle .
Looking forward to the UK launch, and similar pictures from there of course .

Hell, she could have got one "Free" looking like that - hell I would have bought it for her

Skip

[dreyfus2]

Originally Posted by Delfoniq

Wow...! Not excited about the iPhone sales as much as about the picture in the middle .
Looking forward to the UK launch, and similar pictures from there of course .

That is the German comedy celebrity Ruth Moschner (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1046216/) - she was there on invitation and she very likely got an iPhone for free.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IWc9II-bsM

[Ste]

Nice widgets, lady!

[esp211]

love the ta-ta's...

[monkeyastronaut]

Omg Omg Omg BOOBIES!!!

[backtomac]

10,000 phones in a country the size of Germany does seem a little weak to me. It might have been worse if the chick with the nice rack hadn't shown up.

Hope sales in Great Britain are better.

[HyteProsector]

Originally Posted by monkeyastronaut

Omg Omg Omg BOOBIES!!!

Originally Posted by esp211

love the ta-ta's...

Originally Posted by Ste

Nice widgets, lady!

c'mon ... lets have a little class here. Besides, I still think what she's holding is sexier.

[Ste]

Originally Posted by HyteProsector

c'mon ... lets have a little class here. Besides, I still think what she's holding is sexier.

I agree. Wonder if she's planning to jailbreak her new toy?

[lantzn]

Originally Posted by HyteProsector

c'mon ... lets have a little class here. Besides, I still think what she's holding is sexier.

Wow 8 out of 10 responses had nothing to do with the iPhone.
Way to go guys lets show the women readers how intelligent we are.

[dreyfus2]

Originally Posted by backtomac

10,000 phones in a country the size of Germany does seem a little weak to me. It might have been worse if the chick with the nice rack hadn't shown up.

Hope sales in Great Britain are better.

10,000 is actually not bad considering a few factors...

- The T-Mobile tariffs are just plain bad (and the early buyers will be bummed when they come down after X-mas and they will be stuck for 24 months) and even existing T-Mobile customers get very bad conditions when changing from an existing tariff, plus there are almost no attractive T-Mobil tariff options (like landline flat) that can be paired with the iPhone tariff
- Tech press in Germany (at large as per instructions given by their advertisers, partially with identical wordings ) really put the iPhone down and was poking fun at the US. After the release of the tariffs they really gave the impression that everybody buying that must be an idiot
- Germans at large (die hard Apple fans excluded) are very resistant to hype (unless it is against something) and a lot are plain cheap. People will wait for hands on reviews, better tariffs or other developments.
- A lot of business people I know wait for the announcements in France and the price of the unlocked version. Its only three weeks and even if the price of the phone is double, one will easily save it in roaming charges when travelling - and Germans travel outside the country a lot.

[Ste]

Originally Posted by lantzn

Wow 8 out of 10 responses had nothing to do with the iPhone.
Way to go guys lets show the women readers how intelligent we are.

What women readers are those, exactly?

[esp211]

Originally Posted by lantzn

Wow 8 out of 10 responses had nothing to do with the iPhone.
Way to go guys lets show the women readers how intelligent we are.

I don't see the correlation between intelligence and appreciation for nice breasts.

I do however, see a correlation between sexual preference and appreciation for nice breasts.

[Jobst-von-Heintze]

Reading that T-Mobile was well prepared sounds a little strange for me. I for myself bought today an iPhone and cannot say that EDGE of T-Mobile is performing as well as Vodafone with UMTS. I wrote about my personal experiences with the iPhone's mobile internet connection here in my blog.

[Ste]

Originally Posted by Jobst-von-Heintze

Reading that T-Mobile was well prepared sounds a little strange for me. I for myself bought today an iPhone and cannot say that EDGE of T-Mobile is performing as well as Vodafone with UMTS. I wrote about my personal experiences with the iPhone's mobile internet connection here in my blog.

Aye, that's very interesting, that. But to get back on topic, what do you make of old Ruthy Whatserface?

[Buck]

Ruthy must be featured in an iPhone ad, holding it tightly between her gorgeous breasts. Mmm...

[Ste]

Alas, my fellow Brits are no looking so hot:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7085643.stm

Where is Melinda Messenger when you need her? Shame on you, U.K., shame!

[Delfoniq]

Originally Posted by Ste

Alas, my fellow Brits are no looking so hot:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7085643.stm

Where is Melinda Messenger when you need her? Shame on you, U.K., shame!

What a shame, they sure picked them at random it seems .

Both Melinda Messenger and Nell McAndrew should have been invited in the UK iPhone launch.

http://celebrity.azplayers.com/naked...l_McAndrew.jpg

Take that female readers (Apologizing...)

[monkeyastronaut]

Originally Posted by monkeyastronaut

Omg Omg Omg BOOBIES!!!

for the slow ones:

sar·casm /ˈsɑrkæzəm/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[sahr-kaz-uhm] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun
1. harsh or bitter derision or irony.
2. a sharply ironical taunt; sneering or cutting remark: a review full of sarcasms.
[Origin: 1570–80; < LL sarcasmus < Gk sarkasmós, deriv. of sarkázein to rend (flesh), sneer; see sarco-]

—Synonyms 1. sardonicism, bitterness, ridicule. See irony1. 2. jeer.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

[palegolas]

The US is Apple's home arena. There they're in total control over press, commercial rollout, spots etc. and know how to build up momentum. Outside the US Apple often do a sparse job when it comes to advertisement etc. I think it'll pick up though, like with the iPod. Even though there were minimal efforts in ads in the early days here in Scandinavia for example it picked up a significant market share when the buzz spread around.

[JeffDM]

Originally Posted by esp211

I don't see the correlation between intelligence and appreciation for nice breasts.

There's appreciation and then there's knuckle-dragging responses. A few of the responses push a bit too far to the second than I'm comfortable with.

[Delfoniq]

Originally Posted by JeffDM

There's appreciation and then there's knuckle-dragging responses. A few of the responses push a bit too far to the second than I'm comfortable with.

Knuckle-dragging defined as holding beliefs, or having attitudes thought to be primitive or uncivilised; hence apelike

(Definition provided for all of us the non-native speakers!)

Concerning the iPhone sales in the UK, has anybody seen this?

http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquir...ns-brit-iphone

It is not a very 'unrealistic' number I think.

(And of course, I'm joking....! Inquirer, get it?)

[onlooker]

Originally Posted by lantzn

Wow 8 out of 10 responses had nothing to do with the iPhone.
Way to go guys lets show the women readers how intelligent we are.

Did you see Miami Ink last night? Don't talk about how intelligent we are compared to women until you do. It put an end to the battle of the sexes.

[GregoriusM]

Originally Posted by Delfoniq

Concerning the iPhone sales in the UK, has anybody seen this?

http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquir...ns-brit-iphone

It is not a very 'unrealistic' number I think.

(And of course, I'm joking....! Inquirer, get it?)

For the millionth time.......... Apple said 10 million by the end of 2008.... not "in 12 months" as the report states.

And I'll bet they'll sell 4 million of those in the UK by the end of 2008.

And Apple has never states that it would be 10 million of the exact iPhone we have now. That probably includes a hardware upgrade or two before the end of '08.

Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesh!!!

/rant off

[ascii]

Originally Posted by AppleInsider

"I'm astonished there's no one else here," said 34-year-old Uwe Berger, a computer programmer who fell in love with the iPhone on a recent visit to the United States.

I don't really understand the hype behind the iPhone either. How will a telephone with a nice web browser help me gain world domination? And if it won't, what's the point in it?

[csimmons]

Originally Posted by backtomac

10,000 phones in a country the size of Germany does seem a little weak to me. It might have been worse if the chick with the nice rack hadn't shown up.

Hope sales in Great Britain are better.

I'm sorry, but when exactly was the last time there was a line at a any mobile store to pick up a RAZR? Any Nokia cell phone? 10,000 units sold in a land so cell phone saturated like Germany is not bad at all.

I'm sure the iPhone sales will be fine over the holiday season and beyond.

I'd absolutely LOVE to buy an iPhone, but my contract with Vodafone doesn't run out until May 2008, and in Germany the cell carriers don't have early termination policies like they do in the US.

[StuBeck]

I went to the mall today and there was no one in O2 looking at the iPhone.I think part of the deal is they aren't getting the ridiculous hype it got in the states. I've never even seen an ad for it on tv here. Its going to be a tough cell when a phone like the N95 is free on £30 amonth plans and does more.

[Delfoniq]

Originally Posted by StuBeck

I went to the mall today and there was no one in O2 looking at the iPhone.I think part of the deal is they aren't getting the ridiculous hype it got in the states. I've never even seen an ad for it on tv here. Its going to be a tough cell when a phone like the N95 is free on £30 amonth plans and does more.

I think that despite its appeal the overall cost of owing an iPhone is just too huge of a factor. (£35 x 18) + £269 = £899 is a lot of money for an impulse buy .

It is cheaper over here of course but they still tie you down with a 24 month contract so in the end it works out the same. I would still get one if I was sure that after my contract has run out they would unlock it and let me keep it with a pre-paid card, but I'm not sure yet that this is feasible.

[breeze]

Originally Posted by backtomac

10,000 phones in a country the size of Germany does seem a little weak to me. It might have been worse if the chick with the nice rack hadn't shown up.

Hope sales in Great Britain are better.

10,000 in one day ! That's great!!! If you consider that the Germany in Euprope, is probably the equivalent of only ONE American State. Now extrapolate those figures and compare to US sales.

As momentum builds and sales grow and continue ( which they will) and other countries in Europe kick in ie: UK, France, Spain, etc... Don't be surprised to see European iPhone sales up there big time- Not to mention Japan , China and Korea - In my book that's a windfall and a half on top of US sales figures.

[breeze]

Originally Posted by backtomac

10,000 phones in a country the size of Germany does seem a little weak to me. It might have been worse if the chick with the nice rack hadn't shown up.

Hope sales in Great Britain are better.

10,000 in one day ! That's great!!! If you consider that the Germany in Euprope, is probably the equivalent of only ONE American State. Now extrapolate those figures and compare to US sales.

As momentum builds and sales grow and continue ( which they will) and other countries in Europe kick in ie: UK, France, Spain, etc... Don't be surprised to see European iPhone sales up there big time- Not to mention Japan , China and Korea - In my book that's a windfall and a half on top of US sales figures.

[Golden Gala]

That would be me, you idiot!!!

[Golden Gala]

From a female reader on this forum! Show a little more respect please and remember that this is an Apple related posting site. If you want gutter talk and porn - get the bleep away from here!!!!

[StuBeck]

Originally Posted by Delfoniq

I think that despite its appeal the overall cost of owing an iPhone is just too huge of a factor. (£35 x 18) + £269 = £899 is a lot of money for an impulse buy .

It is cheaper over here of course but they still tie you down with a 24 month contract so in the end it works out the same. I would still get one if I was sure that after my contract has run out they would unlock it and let me keep it with a pre-paid card, but I'm not sure yet that this is feasible.

The only part that really is expensive is the phone. I'm not saying its cheap, but I'm in uni and one of my friends has TWO £50 a month mobiles. The problem is that mobiles here are so much cheaper, if I can get a better phone for nothing and not be stuck paying an extra 5 quid a month, I'm doing it.

Originally Posted by breeze

10,000 in one day ! That's great!!! If you consider that the Germany in Euprope, is probably the equivalent of only ONE American State. Now extrapolate those figures and compare to US sales.

As momentum builds and sales grow and continue ( which they will) and other countries in Europe kick in ie: UK, France, Spain, etc... Don't be surprised to see European iPhone sales up there big time- Not to mention Japan , China and Korea - In my book that's a windfall and a half on top of US sales figures.

The US is bigger than Germany yes, but Germany is not equivalent to one US state. The sales are disappointing, and I doubt it will get much better until they bring the price down and make it clear why people should pay for the phone.

[Ste]

Originally Posted by Golden Gala

From a female reader on this forum! Show a little more respect please and remember that this is an Apple related posting site. If you want gutter talk and porn - get the bleep away from here!!!!

It was a joke, Joyce. Get over it.

You may have noticed, I was not the only one getting some light-hearted relief on a Friday afternoon from what was, essentially, a non-story from AI.

Nothing I said was pornographic. And the comment about there being no female readers here was said with tongue firmly in cheek, primarily to get a rise out of four-post wonders like yourself.

Now don't you have some housework to be getting on with?

[csimmons]

Originally Posted by StuBeck

The only part that really is expensive is the phone. I'm not saying its cheap, but I'm in uni and one of my friends has TWO £50 a month mobiles. The problem is that mobiles here are so much cheaper, if I can get a better phone for nothing and not be stuck paying an extra 5 quid a month, I'm doing it.



The US is bigger than Germany yes, but Germany is not equivalent to one US state. The sales are disappointing, and I doubt it will get much better until they bring the price down and make it clear why people should pay for the phone.

StuBeck,

Do you live in Germany? I was wondering because I do, and very few people in the media see the iPhone launch in Germany as disappointing, since no one in the German tech media bought into the iPhone hype like the US media did.

10,000 phones in one day for a phone carried by a single provider in a country where almost all new phones are sold by multiple providers simultaneously is pretty good indeed. I don't recall seeing lines outside of any shops anywhere when the RAZR or the N95 came out.

[backtomac]

Originally Posted by breeze

10,000 in one day ! That's great!!! If you consider that the Germany in Euprope, is probably the equivalent of only ONE American State. Now extrapolate those figures and compare to US sales.
.

Not really. Germany's population is 84 million and is the biggest country(by population) in the EU. By comparison, California has a population of about 34 million.

[Vox Barbara]

10.000 units sold just in one day is not that bad, if you factor in that it is sold
only by T-Com. I never saw lines in front of T-Com stores either. And i
never saw any T-com stores packed with all sort of people who liked
to get in touch with a mobile phone. Well, all in all I think the iPhone launch in Germany
was pretty successful, despite all "Reuters" press.
I live in Hamburg; Germany, North.

[csimmons]

Originally Posted by Vox Barbara

10.000 units sold just in one day is not that bad, if you factor in that it is sold
only by T-Com. I never saw lines in front of T-Com stores either. And i
never saw any T-com stores packed with all sort of people who liked
to get in touch with a mobile phone. Well, all in all I think the iPhone launch in Germany
was pretty successful, despite all "Reuters" press.
I live in Hamburg; Germany, North.

There were no lines at the Launch in Hannover either (at least at the T-Com shop I went to), but everyone who came in the shop I was at was indeed awestruck by the iPhone. Every other smartphone in the shop was basically ignored.

The iPhone is really more impressive than I thought it would be. Later in the evening I had a gig (I'm a professional musician), and one of my collegues had just picked up his iPhone, so I got a chance to see it in a real world setting. I gotta get one of these things. If I could only get out of my Vodafone contract...

[Vox Barbara]

Originally Posted by csimmons

...
If I could only get out of my Vodafone contract...

Replace "Vodaphone" with "ePlus" and there you get my answer too, why I
don't buy within the next 9 month, what a pity.