O2 iPhone boost; Jobs interview tonight; 10.5.3; AT&T adds 1.3m

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
A recent iPhone price cut in the UK has spurred sellouts at O2 and Carphone Warehouse stores. Meanwhile, an interview with Steve Jobs will air tonight as part of a documentary on Pixar; Apple has pushed out a new build of Mac OS X 10.5.3; and AT&T added another 1.3 million subscribers in the first quarter.



UK iPhone sell-out



UK shoppers flocked to the retail shops of O2 and its retail partner Carphone Warehouse last week after the British wireless carrier announced a 100 pound price drop on the 8GB iPhone, MobileToday is reporting.



O2 stores in Newcastle, Birmingham and London said they each sold out of the touchscreen handset last Wednesday, the same day the price cuts were announced.



"And an employee in Carphone Warehouse’s flagship store on London’s Oxford Street said sales had doubled from 30*per day to 60, while another Carphone staffer commented: ‘We usually sell one or two a day, but yesterday we sold about 20 – it was like launch day again.’"



O2 was expecting its stock to be replenished ahead of this week, the report says.



Steve Jobs and The Pixar Story



Apple chief executive Steve Jobs, along with Tom Hanks and George Lucas, will be among the interviewees in a vibrant documentary on the history of Pixar animation studios set to air at 10:00 p.m. local time Tuesday (tonight) on the Starz movie channel.



"Here's the problem with this documentary, which charts the birth, near-death, and explosion of the multiple-Oscar-winning animation studio:," reads a description from Entertainment Week. "It will make you realize that your job sucks. Because unless you work for John Lasseter at the MIT-meets-Romper Room HQ, hatching hits like Toy Story and Cars, then you have no idea how rewarding a job can be."



Mac OS X 10.5.3 build 9D23



Just days after privately releasing Mac OS X 10.5.3 build 9D22 to its vast developer community, Apple on Monday evening pushed out yet another build of the impending update to its Leopard operating system carrying build number 9D23.



According to people familiar with the distribution, the latest build lists no known issues and Apple made no changes to the twelve core areas of the software for which developers should reserve their testing efforts.



However, the new build added eight new code corrections to a bug fix list now sprawling nearly 180 items long. Amongst the most recent additions were resolutions to issues with mounted Boot Camp volumes, Safari bookmarks and .Mac Mail accounts, and memory leaks spurred by Finder accessibility windows.



Based on timeframes provided to AppleInsider, the Mac OS X 10.5.3 Update should be released to Leopard users within the next two weeks.



AT&T profits rise 22 percent



AT&T Inc. said Tuesday that first-quarter profits rose 22 percent, fueled largely by the addition of 1.3 million net wireless subscribers -- a sign that the nation's largest wireless carrier has thus far escape the adverse affects of a slumping U.S. economy.



Net income rose to $3.46 billion, or 57 cents a share, up from $2.85 billion, or 45 cents a share. Meanwhile, revenue increased 6.1 percent to $30.74 billion from $28.97 billion.



The exclusive U.S. wireless provider for Apple's iPhone said wireless sales were up 18 percent to $11.8 billion and that it ended the first quarter with a nation-leading 71.4 million mobile customers.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 19
    Thanks for the correction. Anywho, I hope we get to see that interview, no doubt it will end up on YouTube, everything else does.
  • Reply 2 of 19
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by iPhelim View Post


    You presumptuous retards, the UK uses the pound (GBP), that's why you might have seen a little '£' symbol all over the internet.



    Honestly, just how little research do you put into your articles?



    Your post is a little belligerent. This is not an issue of not doing research as it's common knowledge that the GBP is still used in the UK, but of sloppy reporting. I simple mistake that will surely be recited shortly.
  • Reply 3 of 19
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Pseudowhis View Post


    Thanks for the correction. Anywho, I hope we get to see that interview, no doubt it will end up on YouTube, everything else does.



    It will be interesting to see what Lucas says about Pixar. Lucas has as big an ego as Jobs and to think that sold it for $10M and Jobs made it into a multi-billion dollar company that set industry standards has got to sting a little.
  • Reply 4 of 19
    ros3ntanros3ntan Posts: 201member
    hey people in UK, is iphone as big as nokia over there?? im just curious to find out how big it is outside the US, escpecially in Europe. its so hard to find anything on Nokia here.
  • Reply 5 of 19
    Small pedantic point... I'm not sure that it's fair to categorise Carphone Warehouse as "O2s retail partner." That kind of implies an exclusive relationship. Carphone Warehouse is, as far as I know, independent and sells phone from all the major cell phone networks in the UK (plus they have their own virtual network).



    O2 have their own retail stores but I guess there were not enough of them to make Apple happy.



    ros3ntan: nope, the iPhone is nowhere near the levels of Nokia, Sony Erricson, Samsung or even Motorola. It has the brand recognition -- everyone has heard of it -- but relatively few have bought one. Which should be as expected given the price differential.
  • Reply 6 of 19
    jwyattjwyatt Posts: 93member
    I don't get Starz !!! but would love to see this documentary. Somebody record it for me please.
  • Reply 7 of 19
    ajmasajmas Posts: 597member
    One thing that is interesting for the phone companies that decided to get on board with the iPhone is that they are now getting more media attention. If even if the iPhone directly doesn't make them more money, being in the spotlight with the phone must be a good thing for these companies - free advertising for them
  • Reply 8 of 19
    suhailsuhail Posts: 192member
    my job sucks
  • Reply 9 of 19
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by suhail View Post


    my job sucks



    Most people can safely say that without this documentary.
  • Reply 10 of 19
    jingojingo Posts: 117member
    The speed at which the iPhone is now selling is a clear demonstration that the previous price point was too high. How could Apple expect it to be as big a success in the UK as in the USA when it was sold at a much higher price? $399 = £200, not £269. Everyone I've talked to about the iPhone (and everyone knows about it, so awareness isn't a problem) has said that they'd spring £199 for one, but not £269. Here's the proof.
  • Reply 11 of 19
    adjeiadjei Posts: 738member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by stephend View Post


    Small pedantic point... I'm not sure that it's fair to categorise Carphone Warehouse as "O2s retail partner." That kind of implies an exclusive relationship. Carphone Warehouse is, as far as I know, independent and sells phone from all the major cell phone networks in the UK (plus they have their own virtual network).



    O2 have their own retail stores but I guess there were not enough of them to make Apple happy.



    ros3ntan: nope, the iPhone is nowhere near the levels of Nokia, Sony Erricson, Samsung or even Motorola. It has the brand recognition -- everyone has heard of it -- but relatively few have bought one. Which should be as expected given the price differential.



    Maybe because those phones are giving out free, that has something to do with it.
  • Reply 12 of 19
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by suhail View Post


    my job sucks



    What's your job?
  • Reply 13 of 19
    suhailsuhail Posts: 192member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Ireland View Post


    What's your job?



    my job is not at Pixar. what's yours?
  • Reply 14 of 19
    tantrumtantrum Posts: 41member
    I made a post a couple of days ago predicting that it was almost obvious the iPhone would sell out in the UK after the price cut. Price arbitrage is a very simple concept and the market re-aligns nearly instantly.



    http://www.alleyinsider.com/2008/4/a..._space_for_3g_



    iPhone 1.0 is okay for the US, not good enough for Western Europe and fantastic for many emerging markets, even at full price.



    If customers buying iPhones at Carphone Warehouse are not required to sign a contract in-store, I expect UK supplies of iPhone to run low fairly soon now that they cost less than the US price.



    A lucrative price arbitrage may develop because the £169 price includes a 17.5% value-added tax (VAT) that is refundable for foreigners leaving the EU. The relevant detail of the Customs refund can be found under The VAT Retail Export Scheme. Of course, nothing like this really exists in America because there's no VAT here.



    Basically, a Russian or Thai (or Swiss) person walks into Carphone Warehouse, pays £ 169 and gets a refund of £ 29 at the airport from UK Customs. At a net price of £ 140 ($277), this is a sweet deal for "exporters" that is sure to clear any excess stock of 8GB iPhones in the UK in no time.



    Again, it depends on the ease with which people can buy iPhones from Carphone Warehouse.



    EU residents can't participate in this scheme but can use the Swiss, Norwegians and Icelanders flying out of the UK directly back to their countries to effectively exploit a loophole to get a much cheaper iPhone. A Swiss citizen buys an iPhone in London for £ 169, gets a refund of £ 29 as he/she leaves the country by air headed back to Switzerland. Upon entry, they may pay no tax if the iPhone is opened as it is very difficult to prove that a phone isn't a personal possession or just a 7.6% tax otherwise. Assuming tax is paid, the phone costs $298 all-in if handed to a neighboring German or French citizen to unlock for their home use.



    I expect that this is very much an inventory clearing exercise and demand will soon exceed supply. People now have a channel structure in Europe that supports a grey market on economics that are better than the US.
  • Reply 15 of 19
    tantrumtantrum Posts: 41member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    A recent iPhone price cut in the UK has spurred sellouts at O2 and Carphone Warehouse stores. Meanwhile, an interview with Steve Jobs will air tonight as part of a documentary on Pixar; Apple has pushed out a new build of Mac OS X 10.5.3; and AT&T added another 1.3 million subscribers in the first quarter.



    UK iPhone sell-out



    UK shoppers flocked to the retail shops of O2 and its retail partner Carphone Warehouse last week after the British wireless carrier announced a 100 pound price drop on the 8GB iPhone, MobileToday is reporting.



    O2 stores in Newcastle, Birmingham and London said they each sold out of the touchscreen handset last Wednesday, the same day the price cuts were announced.



    "And an employee in Carphone Warehouse?s flagship store on London?s Oxford Street said sales had doubled from 30*per day to 60, while another Carphone staffer commented: ?We usually sell one or two a day, but yesterday we sold about 20 ? it was like launch day again.?"



    O2 was expecting its stock to be replenished ahead of this week, the report says.



    Steve Jobs and The Pixar Story



    Apple chief executive Steve Jobs, along with Tom Hanks and George Lucas, will be among the interviewees in a vibrant documentary on the history of Pixar animation studios set to air at 10:00 p.m. local time Tuesday (tonight) on the Starz movie channel.



    "Here's the problem with this documentary, which charts the birth, near-death, and explosion of the multiple-Oscar-winning animation studio:," reads a description from Entertainment Week. "It will make you realize that your job sucks. Because unless you work for John Lasseter at the MIT-meets-Romper Room HQ, hatching hits like Toy Story and Cars, then you have no idea how rewarding a job can be."



    Mac OS X 10.5.3 build 9D23



    Just days after privately releasing Mac OS X 10.5.3 build 9D22 to its vast developer community, Apple on Monday evening pushed out yet another build of the impending update to its Leopard operating system carrying build number 9D23.



    According to people familiar with the distribution, the latest build lists no known issues and Apple made no changes to the twelve core areas of the software for which developers should reserve their testing efforts.



    However, the new build added eight new code corrections to a bug fix list now sprawling nearly 180 items long. Amongst the most recent additions were resolutions to issues with mounted Boot Camp volumes, Safari bookmarks and .Mac Mail accounts, and memory leaks spurred by Finder accessibility windows.



    Based on timeframes provided to AppleInsider, the Mac OS X 10.5.3 Update should be released to Leopard users within the next two weeks.



    AT&T profits rise 22 percent



    AT&T Inc. said Tuesday that first-quarter profits rose 22 percent, fueled largely by the addition of 1.3 million net wireless subscribers -- a sign that the nation's largest wireless carrier has thus far escape the adverse affects of a slumping U.S. economy.



    Net income rose to $3.46 billion, or 57 cents a share, up from $2.85 billion, or 45 cents a share. Meanwhile, revenue increased 6.1 percent to $30.74 billion from $28.97 billion.



    The exclusive U.S. wireless provider for Apple's iPhone said wireless sales were up 18 percent to $11.8 billion and that it ended the first quarter with a nation-leading 71.4 million mobile customers.



    I made a post a couple of days ago predicting that it was almost obvious the iPhone would sell out in the UK after the price cut. Price arbitrage is a very simple concept and the market re-aligns nearly instantly.



    http://www.alleyinsider.com/2008/4/a..._space_for_3g_



    iPhone 1.0 is okay for the US, not good enough for Western Europe and fantastic for many emerging markets, even at full price.



    If customers buying iPhones at Carphone Warehouse are not required to sign a contract in-store, I expect UK supplies of iPhone to run low fairly soon now that they cost less than the US price.



    A lucrative price arbitrage may develop because the £169 price includes a 17.5% value-added tax (VAT) that is refundable for foreigners leaving the EU. The relevant detail of the Customs refund can be found under The VAT Retail Export Scheme. Of course, nothing like this really exists in America because there's no VAT here.



    Basically, a Russian or Thai (or Swiss) person walks into Carphone Warehouse, pays £ 169 and gets a refund of £ 29 at the airport from UK Customs. At a net price of £ 140 ($277), this is a sweet deal for "exporters" that is sure to clear any excess stock of 8GB iPhones in the UK in no time.



    Again, it depends on the ease with which people can buy iPhones from Carphone Warehouse.



    EU residents can't participate in this scheme but can use the Swiss, Norwegians and Icelanders flying out of the UK directly back to their countries to effectively exploit a loophole to get a much cheaper iPhone. A Swiss citizen buys an iPhone in London for £ 169, gets a refund of £ 29 as he/she leaves the country by air headed back to Switzerland. Upon entry, they may pay no tax if the iPhone is opened as it is very difficult to prove that a phone isn't a personal possession or just a 7.6% tax otherwise. Assuming tax is paid, the phone costs $298 all-in if handed to a neighboring German or French citizen to unlock for their home use.



    I expect that this is very much an inventory clearing exercise and demand will soon exceed supply. People now have a channel structure in Europe that supports a grey market on economics that are better than the US.
  • Reply 16 of 19
    tenobelltenobell Posts: 7,014member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Jingo View Post


    The speed at which the iPhone is now selling is a clear demonstration that the previous price point was too high.



    Yes I've been saying for awhile sales should increase if the price went down.





    Quote:

    How could Apple expect it to be as big a success in the UK as in the USA when it was sold at a much higher price? $399 = £200, not £269.



    The Euro price includes VAT, while the US cost does not include tax.



    When I bought my phone it was listed at $599 but cost $640 after taxes.
  • Reply 17 of 19
    netdognetdog Posts: 244member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Tantrum View Post


    I made a post a couple of days ago predicting that it was almost obvious the iPhone would se



    blah blah blah.



    Thanks for quoting the entire original article in your post. Very helpful!
  • Reply 18 of 19
    datamodeldatamodel Posts: 126member
    "If customers buying iPhones at Carphone Warehouse are not required to sign a contract in-store, I expect UK supplies of iPhone to run low fairly soon now that they cost less than the US price."



    They're not required to sign a contract in store at CPW, O2 or Apple Stores. Can't, in fact.



    Cheers,



    Martin.
  • Reply 19 of 19
    netdognetdog Posts: 244member
    I think we may be surprised by how soon the 3G phone is announced.
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