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Apple to Partner with O2 for iPhone UK? Orange in France?

Project said:
Apple sold 20m iPods last quarter. 97% of which were to Windows users.
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Of course they did, because the iPod is now an established product!

Look, in a year's time, the large percentage of owners of the iPhone will be Windows users, no doubt, it's natural.

But these first week sales have been driven up by Mac enthusiasts and that is unquestionable.
 
I have always regarded O2 as something as a joke outside of London. In fact are they not pretty much the worst provider in the UK ? Peronally i think Apple should have got in bed with one of the big boys like vodaphone or orange.
 
mrfrosty said:
I have always regarded O2 as something as a joke outside of London. In fact are they not pretty much the worst provider in the UK ? Peronally i think Apple should have got in bed with one of the big boys like vodaphone or orange.
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O2 are huge, at least in Northern Ireland. I'm very happy with this news, I wasn't going to change provider for the iPhone and now it seems like I wont have to!
 
While I love Apple products, have been waiting for an iPhone for god knows how long and would happily give my almost new Nokia 8800 Sirocco for one, I just cannot stomach going with 02. I, and many people I know have had enough problems in the past, for one thing, their customer service is one of the worst around.

I have to say, I am very surprised Apple didn't go with Voda, they seem perfectly suited both in style (I'm sorry but the thought of a geordie voice on an 02 advert announcing an iPhone makes me laugh)and their customer base (young and 'HIP')

And as for it being a non-3G phone in the UK....are you serious??????
I'm not predicting by any means that it will fail if it is not 3G, only a moron who completely underestimates Apple's brand loyalty would do that:rolleyes: , i'm just saing it could be much more of a success if it was 3G

I am now going to get some sleep, because this is making me feel ill.......:apple:
 
michaelverdin said:
While I love Apple products, have been waiting for an iPhone for god knows how long and would happily give my almost new Nokia 8800 Sirocco for one, I just cannot stomach going with 02. I, and many people I know have had enough problems in the past, for one thing, their customer service is one of the worst around.

I have to say, I am very surprised Apple didn't go with Voda, they seem perfectly suited both in style (I'm sorry but the thought of a geordie voice on an 02 advert announcing an iPhone makes me laugh)and their customer base (young and 'HIP')

And as for it being a non-3G phone in the UK....are you serious??????
I'm not predicting by any means that it will fail if it is not 3G, only a moron who completely underestimates Apple's brand loyalty would do that:rolleyes: , i'm just saing it could be much more of a success if it was 3G

I am now going to get some sleep, because this is making me feel ill.......:apple:
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Vodaphone really brand their phones to death though, this may have been one of the reasons Apple went with O2 who leave them pretty much untouched.
 
Well looking at the 'future' coverage on the o2 website (Dark blue means video is enabled).......it looks pretty crap to me. Iv'e seen the future, and it doesn't look like this.
 

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Manic Mouse said:
O2 are huge, at least in Northern Ireland. I'm very happy with this news, I wasn't going to change provider for the iPhone and now it seems like I wont have to!
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I may have changed but if Voda or Orang or T-Mob or Virgin got it then i wouldn't've done.
 
Having used o2 for a while I have to say that their network was terrible.

I understand they have wide coverage but I live in London and has dreadful reception, dropped calls, horrific customer service experience and inflated call costs.

Luckily I still had my T Mobile contract (originally a one2one contract) so I stuck with them.

Granted, o2 have been able to offer a wide range of phones (the reason I tried a contract with them in the first place) but everything about the service I received was total balls.

If o2 do get the iPhone I sure as hell hope they improve their service, signal and customer care and that they don't get a 2 year exclusivity deal like AT&T have in the US.
 
Ben Kei said:
Having used o2 for a while I have to say that their network was terrible.

I understand they have wide coverage but I live in London and has dreadful reception, dropped calls, horrific customer service experience and inflated call costs.

Luckily I still had my T Mobile contract (originally a one2one contract) so I stuck with them.

Granted, o2 have been able to offer a wide range of phones (the reason I tried a contract with them in the first place) but everything about the service I received was total balls.

If o2 do get the iPhone I sure as hell hope they improve their service, signal and customer care and that they don't get a 2 year exclusivity deal like AT&T have in the US.
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In Northern Ireland the coverage from O2 is excellent, I nearly always have full bars no matter where I go. I've never had dropped calls and customer service has always been a pleasant experience for me. I've had no problems with O2 for the three years I've been with them.

Seems milage varies, eh?
 
My experience with O2 has been excellent, but i understand it's each to their own.

Personally, what with them soon to announce their ADSL2 broadband service as well, it's not a bad time to be an O2 customer.
 
I really don't think we can make any assumptions on the validity of rumours about possible providers based on the provider's current data plans.

The market for mobile 2.5/3G data is in a chicken+egg situation. People don't use it because it's expensive and awkward with no compelling features. However, the price hasn't dropped and there's been no innovation on the device side because people haven't been using it.

I think part of what Apple's offering the carrier is a device which will get users actively using data network in volumes which make reasonably-priced flat-rate dataplans viable.
 
The UK iPhone will have to use 3G if Apple want to sell anything like a reasonable quantity. GRPS for web surfing and Google Maps is just a no go. By the time the iPhone launches we will have a touch screen interface iPod for half the price, you don't need to be a genius to work out which will sell if the UK iPhone is crippled.
 
jimboboc82 said:
Wrong way to go - T-Mobile all the way with their great customer service and web n walk package. Orange, O2, Vodafone are awful when trying to contact.
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Utter nonsense. Orange for years have been voted as having the best customer service. T-mobile is rubbish in the UK as evidenced by their relatively small business market share.
 
Cromulent said:
No they don't. Get your facts straight.

3 have 90% 3G coverage in the UK which is about 15% more than their nearest rivals. They piggyback off O2 and Orange for 2G signal though, but their 3G network is theirs and theirs alone.
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3 are rubbish. There is a reason why they are so cheap and that is to get people to move to a rubbish network.
 
This would be great news for O2 (complementing their music-happy brand and The O2 arena) but not so much for Apple. O2's GSM network is already heavily congested (days of 'free calls' offers tend to see the network collapse) and I'm sceptical that it would perform well with millions of new iPhone activations.

However, if O2 really were to roll out EDGE in time for the launch then I guess it'd make them a strong partner, initially - however once a 3G iPhone comes out the rolls would be reversed as O2 has the least developed 3G network in the UK by miles.

I'm still 'wait and see'. An O2 iPhone wouldn't be the end of the world, but it wouldn't exactly be most peoples preferred choice either.
 
markfc said:
O2? WTF? that's everyone outside London screwed.

Come on Apple, you need to go with Orange!!
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What Sheffield, Birmingham, Nottingham, Manchester, Liverpool all have perfect 02 coverage (reports from Uni friends). Where as they say that people on other networks have trouble with coverage, T-Mobile the worst but orange aren't that great.
 
inkiboo said:
3 are rubbish. There is a reason why they are so cheap and that is to get people to move to a rubbish network.
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i beg to differ on this my friend..

i was with orange with 10+ years and eventually i got so fed up with their crap i decided to leave..

i gave 3 a chance, and i have not looked back..

i have had no problems with their coverage of 3G and also they have excellent customer support

i pay £5/month for unlimited 3G web access

if the iPhone is not 3G, then i doubt i can take a step back in terms of browsing speeds..

i have not had much experience of o2, but from what i know, they don't personalise them too much compared to voda/orange etc..

a few tweaks i don't mind, but entire colour schemes and menu's rearranged is a royal PITA :p

my current contract with 3 ends in december, so right on the ball if the iPhone has the right specs
 
Donnacha said:
Jesus, do people really not understand that Apple are using the the iphone as leverage to force the telecoms business to stop raping their customers. Apple realizes that it must do this because, left to their own greed and stupidity, the telcos will spend the next decade stunting innovation and new market growth.

Have you ever met a telco executive - absolute, dribbling morons. Unless that entire industry gets it's act together, there is no point in Apple trying to do anything. Steve Jobs realizes that he has ONE chance, one opportunity to use the clout the ipod's success has given him to break down the walls and play the telcos off against one another. These bastards don't want to give away so much power but they are terrified that, if they don't, their competitors will.

The end result, if the gamble pays off, will be a true mass market for mobile broadband and telcos that are far more customer-oriented.
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All I know is that in the US, in order to get an iPhone you have to pay the full cost of the handset (ie, totally unsubsidised), AND commit to a 2 year contract. Speaking for most UK people, the whole point of a contract is that you receive a significant discount on the cost of a handset in exchange for committing yourself to a long-term contract (usually 12 months, although 18 months seems to be becoming the norm).

Apple's plans are actually harming the customer because the networks know that if they hold the exclusive rights to the iPhone, they don't have to discount the handset, they don't have to offer a tarriff beyond their normal ones (unless they choose to), and they can force you to sign a 2 year contract, rather than the 12 or 18 month contracts we are used to. Add to that the additional revenue they will receive from people switching to their network because that's the only way people can get an iPhone. Give a network an exclusive like the iPhone, where they know the demand is huge and people will fall over themselves to get one, do you really think they're not going to try to abuse that?

I believe Apple's exclusive deals with only one network in each territory is good for Apple's bottom line, but an absolutely awful deal for the individual customer.

So while I'm quite interested in buying an iPhone, I'm not switching from my current network just to get one, nor will I pay an unsubsidised price if I'd also be signing a long-term contract. Thanks, but no thanks Apple.
 
inkiboo said:
3 are rubbish. There is a reason why they are so cheap and that is to get people to move to a rubbish network.
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I was an early adopter with 3 and this was certainly true at the start, with the network going down every weekend and coverage being distinctly patchy.

However, I have just quite happily renewed my contract with them in the last few months and have had no problems at all over the last eighteen months.

Cheers

Jim
 
Fellow Brits?

Two important questions: first, if O2 is Edgeless, what the hell will it use?

Secondly, my fellow Brits, will you honestly pay over £300 for the :apple: iPhone under contract? I mean on O2's website, you can choose any tariff you want with a 18 or 24 month contract and get most phones FREE. Even the LG Prada is £20, to which the :apple: iPhone has been compared.

I'm just curious as to if people really will pickup on a phone here that is completely unsubsidised under a contract and that lacks 3G.
 
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