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In the UK the shops probably won't do it - they get too much commission from flogging contracts, but there will be internet sellers who will do you a sim free version. Wouldn't count on it being £269 though.

i don't think that's right. you will buy it from apple, o2 or carphone warehouse (all £269) and then sign up for the contract at home on itunes.
 
any other O2 customers rang o2 and had the same offer as me?

£35, 600mins, 1000txts, unlimited data?

For what i understood, after the 1st of October, all the contracts will have unlimited data, so if you are (like me) on the £35 contract with 600mins and 1000txts, you will have unlimited data.

I might be wrong.... but does that mean that once i buy an iphone and i activate it, i will have 600 minutes and 1000 texts plus unlimited data as weel, or just if i keep the phone that they gave me?

if this is the case, i'm definitely getting the iPhone (like i wouldn't otherwise:rolleyes:)
 
i don't think that's right. you will buy it from apple, o2 or carphone warehouse (all £269) and then sign up for the contract at home on itunes.

Exactly. Buy it from Apple for £269, use the free unlock apps that are now available on the web.

Easy.
 
For what i understood, after the 1st of October, all the contracts will have unlimited data, so if you are (like me) on the £35 contract with 600mins and 1000txts, you will have unlimited data.

I might be wrong.... but does that mean that once i buy an iphone and i activate it, i will have 600 minutes and 1000 texts plus unlimited data as weel, or just if i keep the phone that they gave me?

if this is the case, i'm definitely getting the iPhone (like i wouldn't otherwise:rolleyes:)
I think you'll find that O2 will be offering unlimited data so long as you pay them a great big wad of extra cash per month. Probably a tenner.
 
For £35 a month I expect more than 200 minutes/text and on an 18 months contract... this is ridiculous. I’m on Vodafone and with £35 a month you get 750 minutes/ 250 text and with things like stop the clock and free weekends this works out great but on this O2 £35 a month I bet you will get huge bills. Might get an unlocked one or just stick with my 8800 ☺


You do get more - did you not read the bit about unlimited data?

Standard £35 vodafone tariff is 500 texts and 500 mins and no data. In fact it is £1 for 1st 15mb and then £2 a megabyte afterwards. ouch

I'd say it was fairly balanced if you ask me.
 
I think you'll find that O2 will be offering unlimited data so long as you pay them a great big wad of extra cash per month. Probably a tenner.

that's got to be right, hasn't it? there must be a cost associated with it.

i've looking at cloud more. getting quite interested. shame there's only one hotspot in my neighbourhood. its a pub. a cafe would be great.
 
any other O2 customers rang o2 and had the same offer as me?

£35, 600mins, 1000txts, unlimited data?

Come on now, don't tease. ;)

They offered you that to get an iPhone? Seriously? What did you say to them to get that out of them? And also, what number did you ring because I'm constantly losing track of the best number to call to negotiate a deal. I'm out of contract with them and have been for months so they really need to impress me to keep me at this stage.
 
Hey guy's, it's a phone

Hmm, lots of whinging. To be expected from us Brits I suppose; it's our national pastime after all. I'm disappointed (very) that we are not getting a 16GB iPhone just yet. Size matters, but I don't give a stuff about G3. Wi Fi at home and at work and in a Cloud'ed pub, with reasonable battery life, will suit me just fine. I'm not sure about O2. I think they've been suckered into a deal that's a bit rich for them as well as for their customers. Of course I'd like an iPhone; they beat the crap out of the castrated iPod touch. They are the closest thing we have to the mythical iNewton. But I'll be waiting for Leopard before I make my mind up; I'm hoping that the new OS X cat will bring some software enhancements to the iPhone (like proper multiple calendar syncing with iCal for a start - come on, Apple stuff is suposed to work, not screw up. That's why we're all fan boys and girls). If Leopard doesn't produce any real goodies for the iPhone I may well wait a bit longer before committing to an 18 month drain on my salary.

I don't think Apple are going to find the UK turns into the cash cow it hoped for. And judging by Jobsworth's responce to the what-about-the-rest-of-europe question, I think dealing with this side of the pond is becoming a pain in Apple's butt. And as for trying to sell a non-G3 phone in Asia :eek:
 
Would you buy a iphone so close to MacWorld?

Seriously, Nov9th is the release date!! thats really close to MacWorld..
Me, i'm waiting to see what Steve brings out come January.
i think all you early iphone adopters are gonna cry!!
 
Actually, this EDGE thing is quite sweet for some of us in the UK.

In a city it sucks, obviously. But there'll be a 3G iPhone as soon as the chipsets are a bit better, say nine months or so. I'd be willing to bet money Apple has unpolished 3G iPhones on test in their labs.

In the countryside, though, we ain't gonna get 3G any time soon. O2 and Orange are both installing EDGE across their network: T-Mobile and Vodafone aren't. And O2 is still consistently better than Orange in rural Britain.

So for those of us who spend a lot of time outside the big smoke, this is pretty good. Just got to wait for the 3G iPhone to get the best of both worlds...
 
My thoughts:

The amount of texts/minutes is **** for the price. If the unlimited data/WiFi is actually that (or near enough), that's a good thing. I would be happy if the tariffs were £10 a month down - ie. the £45/month one was £35/month. That seems more reasonable. On 18 month contract with Orange right now I get unlimited texts, 500 x network minutes and unlimited calls to my "magic number", for £35/month. Also I got a very nice phone for free - and with the e2save/onestopphoneshop style websites I ended up getting 12 months of my 18 free with a cheque back offer. The european phone market is different to the American - we expect more for less - so I don't think this will be a success.

30% network coverage is plain ****, I won't be buying until we have 3G and better coverage. As for people asking why O2 - basically Apple is greedy, and O2 coughed up the most. All there is too it...

Meh. I'm pissed off, I'm in a position to start a new contract, but it doesn't make sense to make it this iPhone right now. I will probably end up waiting for 3G and biting the bullet then.
 
I'm curious, what exactly IS EDGE? I thought EDGE was just WiFi over mobile access. Is it specific to just ATT Wireless network? I know 3G is HSDPA, I thought EDGE was just 2G, something every network already has as it's older technology...

EDGE is an acronym for 'Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution' and is basically faster data over 2G networks. I think it tops out around 128kb/s whereas 3G is up to 384kb/s and HSDPA (3G+) is currently at 1.8mb/s in the UK and will soon be 3.6mb/s. I believe HSDPA goes even faster in Asia. People are correct that 3G is not that much better than edge (3 times the speed) but HSDPA blows it (and many WiFi hotspots) out of the water and is available now in large parts of the UK on Vodafone and Orange.
The big use for 3G/HSDPA for me is that I tether my laptop to my phone and have ADSL like speeds anywhere in the country.
 
Sorry can someone please clarify: I can just go into an apple store in US, buy an iPhone, forget activating it, return to UK unlock and use UK sim and it will work fine??

I actually think the price plans arent that bad, the 45pound one especially, and people are forgetting this is Apple, theyre not exactly known for being cheap; they dont necessarily want the phone to go super mainstream and every tom dick and harry to have one, you have to pay! Loads of 'flash harry's' will probably buy them. So yes they have lowered price of phone but you still have to pay through contract (which isnt even that bad).

I just never get tied into 18month contracts, which would be a silly thing for me to do considering there will most def be an iPhone 1.5/2.0 (or the next new thing?) within the next 12 months and I like to upgrade.

I was SUPER interested in the Touch till I realised it was a buggy, lazy, crippled, rushed-out-the-door, badly manufactured piece of c***. :(

Did you really expect the Touch to be exactly the same as iPhone minus the phone?? Releasing the Touch is risky as it is in terms of eating into iPhone sales, they wouldnt want to be that stupid. Theyre actually doing us a massive favour giving us the chance to experience much of what the iPhone is about without the contracts. They will fix the bugs and speed it up through software updates.

AND to the MOANERS------ MOST THINGS ARE MORE EXPENSIVE IN UK/EU THAN U.S, Clothes, Electrics, Petrol, Food, it is NOT just Apple! WAKE UP!!!
 
It's nice that the clouds in pubs have gone from smoke to wifi signals!

As for EDGE vs 3G, I've always been for 3G but I'm starting to see how the alternative could have the er.. EDGE over it. It's really not that far behind in terms of speed (a quick Google suggests 236Kbps vs. 384Kbps), and if it can really be enabled by turning something on rather than putting up an entirely new transmitter then it could make all the difference. After all, the providers seem to be *really* struggling to roll out 3G.

It'd also mean decent sized phones again instead of the big chunky 3G ones, and better battery life.

Another VHS/Betamax jobbie. 3G is better technically speaking, but EDGE has the potential to beat its slow moving arse.

PS I don't know about this 19th October thing. Maybe they have the release date mixed up with Leopard?
 
Anyone have any thoughts on what this means...

Existing Customers

If you're an existing O2 customer and you receive your bills directly from O2, or you're an O2 Pay & Go customer, during the activation process you'll be asked whether you'd like to transfer your existing O2 mobile number to your iPhone.

This process can take up to 5 working days to complete, but don't worry - we'll provide you with a temporary number so you can start enjoying your iPhone straight away.


Wonder how this works if your contract isn't due for renewal? :confused:
 
Come on now, don't tease. ;)

They offered you that to get an iPhone? Seriously? What did you say to them to get that out of them? And also, what number did you ring because I'm constantly losing track of the best number to call to negotiate a deal. I'm out of contract with them and have been for months so they really need to impress me to keep me at this stage.

they say a lot of things on the phone!! i just called o2 to ask what happens if you fail the credit check when you get your iphone home. i was told that iphone will only be available from 02 and carphone warehouse (and not apple) and that the credit check will be done in store. he also said you can have it on pay as you go. so i wouldn't really take what they say that seriously :D

I just never get tied into 18month contracts, which would be a silly thing for me to do considering there will most def be an iPhone 1.5/2.0 (or the next new thing?) within the next 12 months and I like to upgrade.

can't you just buy the second version of iphone when it comes out and use it on the existing contract?
 
Does anyone here have an unlocked iPhone in the UK on Orange? If so, they use EDGE... Any good/bad things to report? Does it work?

After today's announcement (And after booking days off work for me and the girlfriend) I'm thoroughly torn... Do I go to London and be a part of it? Or just get a US one off eBay and unlock it?
 
This is just the opening salvo for the iPhone in the UK (and soon, the EU) just as it is for the iPhone in the US.

Everyone here in the States carped about the performance, the price, the lack of carrier freedom, and everything else.

Today, the British are doing the same. :)

Next week, the French and Germans will get their turn. :D


We're early adopters, folks.

And so is Apple.


This is a new territory for them. They only have so many ways to guarantee a positive RoI on their iPhone investment - which The Market demands - so they're demanding tough terms and whichever carrier is the first to accept gets the business.

And those carriers themselves need to guarantee a positive RoI on their investment, as well. So they're charging high plans and tarrifs because they know now (if not then) that folks were going to hack the things to work on other carriers. And if there exists now, or exists soon, a way to hack the iPhone to another carrier without first activating with the "official carrier", then that carrier gets absolutely nothing from the sale of an iPhone, which is not the case for Apple.
 
this is taken from the reportage that engadget did of the press conference this morning. http://www.engadget.com/2007/09/18/live-from-apples-mum-is-no-longer-the-word-event-in-london/

10:42 - Q: Unlimited data packages: will those go to other contracts as well?

Matthew: "On 1st October we'll be rolling those out for all out customers."
Steve: "It's the future."



from this words i get that if i'm already a customer of O2, from 1st October i should get unlimited data.
 
Come on now, don't tease. ;)

They offered you that to get an iPhone? Seriously? What did you say to them to get that out of them? And also, what number did you ring because I'm constantly losing track of the best number to call to negotiate a deal. I'm out of contract with them and have been for months so they really need to impress me to keep me at this stage.

i'm not teasing i have said it multiple times throughout this thread but there are to many people posting crap that people don't see it. I am due for an upgrade of my O2 contract and they said i could have the iphone on £35 a month with 600mins and 1000txts and unlimited data plus i pay the 269 for the iphone. She has noted it on my account. I then rang back and spoke to a guy who i asked if the previous girl has made me an offer they can honour and he said yup
 
this is taken from the reportage that engadget did of the press conference this morning. http://www.engadget.com/2007/09/18/live-from-apples-mum-is-no-longer-the-word-event-in-london/

10:42 - Q: Unlimited data packages: will those go to other contracts as well?

Matthew: "On 1st October we'll be rolling those out for all out customers."
Steve: "It's the future."



from this words i get that if i'm already a customer of O2, from 1st October i should get unlimited data.

Fairly certain you'll either be charged more for it, and you won't magically get it either. You'll have to request it, and they'll probably charge you a tenner. But yes the option will be available to you and all O2 customers.
 
Has anyone checked out the Regent St store after 4pm? Is it full of actual iPhones on show for people to try them out?

Matt
 
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