iPhone UK Launch and 3G iPhone Plans

[MacRumors]

MacWorld.co.uk points to to a Telegraph interview with O2's chief executive Matthew Key who provides some details on how O2 became Apple's iPhone partner in the UK. After meeting with Steve Jobs in Cupertino, Key had come to a decision:

''When we left two hours later, I said to Cesar, 'that's a device I've got to offer. In the UK market, where the top four networks have pretty much equal shares, it offers a great way for me to get a hell of a lot of high-value customers on to O2 and drive up data usage [to help offset pressure on voice call revenues]'."

According to FT.com, Key expects "a couple of hundred thousand" iPhones to be sold in the first two months in the UK. FT.com also claims that the 3G version of the iPhone is due in the second half of next year, though the exact source is not cited. Regardless, Key appears confident that O2 would also get rights to the 3G iPhone when it arrives.

Article Link

[LondonMacs]

i hope to get one on friday. finally in the UK

[igazza]

good for the uk now they have this deal done apple can focus on asia Pacific. because i want a god damn iphone. a real one not a hacked one

[BornAgainMac]

Soon they will get their hands on the 3G "bloody" iPhone.

[codo]

Originally Posted by BornAgainMac

Soon they will get their hands on the 3G "bloody" iPhone.

"bloody" 3G iPhone

[redwin11]

I listened to O2 boss Peter Erskine on Radio 5 last night.

He said, quote, unquote, that 3G will be addressed next year.

Have a listen: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/podcasts/webiz/
It's about 30 minutes in.

No real surprise if a 3G handset does appear next year, the surprise wil be how many people are prepared to part cash for this model.

[bilbo--baggins]

Originally Posted by redwin11

No real surprise if a 3G handset does appear next year, the surprise wil be how many people are prepared to part cash for this model.

The iPhone is the best phone on the market by far - even though it doesn't have 3G. That's why people will part with their cash. When a 3G phone becomes available - even better (assuming they do manage to fit it into the same size and keeping good battery life).

[bilbo--baggins]

Considering what happened this year - announced early at MacWorld (due to the inevitability of the FCC making details available) for release in June. I think it's quite likely that Apple will announce a 3G iPhone at MacWorld in January for release much later in the year.

[EagerDragon]

Originally Posted by bilbo--baggins

Considering what happened this year - announced early at MacWorld (due to the inevitability of the FCC making details available) for release in June. I think it's quite likely that Apple will announce a 3G iPhone at MacWorld in January for release much later in the year.

Understand the reason, but .... Would not that kill the sales of the current V1 iPhone?

[raskar]

I wonder if Apple will link with Three networks when they release there 3G iPhone?

[happydude]

i'm looking to enter the iphone world sometime february when my tmobile contract is up . . . but with 3G on the horizon . . . would apple actually release those details in January and expect sales NOT to drop waiting for 3G to be released?

[MattJessop]

3G would be a major deal for the iPhone, because it is fairly near to what most people have for broadband, unlike the current bandwidth which can be painfully slow.

If it was 3G however, then the iPhone could really just have a good faster always on connection, and with the SDK being released soon, possibly even a VoIP client. Of course I don't see any sane Mobile phone network signing up for that of course :/

[Mackan]

Originally Posted by MattJessop

3G would be a major deal for the iPhone, because it is fairly near to what most people have for broadband, unlike the current bandwidth which can be painfully slow.

If it was 3G however, then the iPhone could really just have a good faster always on connection, and with the SDK being released soon, possibly even a VoIP client. Of course I don't see any sane Mobile phone network signing up for that of course :/

I am pretty sure Apple will do their best to prevent any kind of easy VoIP application development on the iPhone... that is just how they are.

And it is also worrying hearing that O2 expects to gets the rights to the next iPhone revision as well. This means Apple will continue to make the iPhone exclusive to specific carriers..... Please Apple, don't bring that greedy anti consumer friendly buisness overseas, stay in the U.S... please.

[koobcamuk]

Originally Posted by MattJessop

possibly even a VoIP client. Of course I don't see any sane Mobile phone network signing up for that of course :/

3 UK do this... unlimted* skype

[Orng]

Oddly enough, the time thus far waiting for the iPhone to become available has actually been enough time for me to talk myself out of buying one. My ol' Samsung NoCam SuckyTone is working just fine. So while rumours of Intro to iPhone sessions at the Eaton Centre in Toronto have caught my interest, I've already talked myself down from the hype, so I'll have money for Christmas even if the iPhone does come.

Besides, it will probably be overpriced anyway. If I do get one, I don't intend to pay a penny more than the US price.

[Nym]

Seriously, am I the only person in this world who is waiting for the non-3G iPhone?

My girlfriend has a Nokia 6280 and although we live in a full 3G covered area we never used it for video-calling or any other service that it supports.

Instead, the only thing that 3G "enabled" does is drain a cell phone's battery in less than 24 hours, I'm eager to pick up my non 3G iPhone when it arrives in my country before it's replaced by the probably more power-hungry 3G model.

And you can ask: Why do you want an iPhone then?

Humm, I'm waiting to buy a new iPod (my 1st gen Nano is dying) and I need a phone that syncs 100% with my Mac, for Safari, Mail and all those features I'll use the wi-fi connections that are available in most places I'm at:

At home and at work

I've been using a 1G GSM-only phone for the last decade and there's no better thing than charging your cell phone once a week, no 3G is going to top this freedom IMO.

Just my 2 cents to the whole iPhone/3G issue.

[redwin11]

Originally Posted by Nym

Humm, I'm waiting to buy a new iPod (my 1st gen Nano is dying) and I need a phone that syncs 100% with my Mac, for Safari, Mail and all those features I'll use the wi-fi connections that are available in most places I'm at:

At home and at work

Alternatively, buy an iPhone Touch, that covers the iPod and Safari issues.

Meanwhile, at work and at home, why not use your computer?

See, I've saved you money, and you won't be any worse off.

[whatever]

Originally Posted by Nym

Seriously, am I the only person in this world who is waiting for the non-3G iPhone?

Hi, don't get me wrong. I love my Edge iPhone. I looked at 3G phones in the a past and you're right the technology, just isn't there. It's like buying an hydrogen cell car, but there's nowhere to refuel it.

Also after playing around with an Edge iPhone I have to say that Edge isn't that bad. Sure WiFi is faster, but then again a hardwire network connection is faster than WiFi...but we still like WiFi. If I had a choice today between a 3G phone or an Edge iPhone, I would go with an iPhone. Hands down...no question. For me personally the iPhone is the best phone I've ever used!

[g9icy]

According to the wiki on EDGE, with some fine tuning Edge itself can be made to have speeds of 60k/sec (or just under). I'm not saying AT&T/O2 has those speeds, but surely that's fast enough for general browsing.

It's not like there are any apps to download, or that you can dl images and view them in Photo's.

[joseph2166]

Originally Posted by Orng

Besides, it will probably be overpriced anyway. If I do get one, I don't intend to pay a penny more than the US price.

Do you take the same line with everything you buy - refusing to pay any more than the U.S. equivalent? Presumably then you ship your car over to the U.S. to fill up with petrol, get your vegetables shipped over first class, and get everything electrical over the net?

Really if you live most places outside the states (especially Europe) then that's the price you pay for living there - higher prices and higher taxes. Live with it!

[sirbobbyuk]

Originally Posted by Macrumors

MacWorld.co.uk points to to a Telegraph interview with O2's chief executive Matthew Key who provides some details on how O2 became Apple's iPhone partner in the UK. After meeting with Steve Jobs in Cupertino, Key had come to a decision:


According to FT.com, Key expects "a couple of hundred thousand" iPhones to be sold in the first two months in the UK. FT.com also claims that the 3G version of the iPhone is due in the second half of next year, though the exact source is not cited. Regardless, Key appears confident that O2 would also get rights to the 3G iPhone when it arrives.

Article Link

I was in O2 store today and i did come close to signing up, but i backed out at the last minute. Maybe because of the price of the iphone itself and being tied into a 18 month contract.
And there was another interesting thing the demonstration models that were there were the 4gb version, which made me think are we getting the 8gb or are they they really the 4 hhmmm?

The other issue which which is kind of a bug bear why don't apple design a phone where the battery can be removed and replaced instead of having to send it off to them and wait 3 week for it to come back.

Apart from that a great phone and i would like one. I have the itouch and that great