O2 wins iPhone contract in the UK

[Anakin]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7000370.stm

O2 wins iPhone contract in the UK Apple iPhone



The iPhone was laucnhed in the US on 29 June Mobile phone operator O2, owned by Spain's Telefonica, has won the exclusive contract to sell Apple's much-hyped iPhone in the UK.

The phones will be sold in O2, Carphone Warehouse and Apple stores from 9 November costing £269 including VAT.

"We are coming to the UK and wanted to pick the best carrier and that is O2," Apple chief executive Steve Jobs said at a news conference in London.

Users will get free use of 7,500 wi-fi hotspots giving faster internet access.

It has not yet been announced on what terms O2 won the contract.

Customers have to sign up for an 18-month contract on a tariff of £35, £45 or £55 a month, all of which will include unlimited mobile data usage.

Price cut

The iPhone is a mobile phone handset with a touch-sensitive screen, combined with a built-in iPod media player and wireless media browser. However, unlike most modern phones the iPhone can not use high-speed 3G networks.

Instead, it will run on Edge, which works on the existing networks and is much slower than 3G.

The iPhone was launched with great fanfare in the United States on 29 June.

They flew off the shelves at first, but last week Apple cut the price of the eight gigabyte version of the iPhone in the US from $599 (£300) to $399 (£200).

The price-cut sparked concern that sales were slowing, although Apple then announced that it had sold one million iPhones ahead of its target date of end of September.

[DJ OD]

Think I read somewhere the 4gb was scrapped.

Thing is, the phone is £269 AND you have to subscribe to a contract. So will an offline sim free handset will go in excess of £500?!

Are they going to go down the road of activation in, like they did in the US? If they do people will buy the iPhone and not register it on O2, just unlock the thing and use a PAYG sim.

If they decided you cannot buy the handset without signing on the dotted line (so to speak) then people will just get them from the US and unlock them, without having to worry about the contract.

Boy did they fuck this up...

Apple should have just sold the iPhone the same as an ipod. From their shops as a sim free product, sod the sponsorship.

I read that of the 1mil phones sold only 2 thirds were activated with at&t!


DJ OD

[H4ss4n]

So how do you go about buying a iphone if you are in the States?

Do you purchase the phone and not sign a contract then 'activate' the contract once home?

[DJ OD]

Something like that. I believe you go to Apple shop, buy the iPhone over the counter. Take it home, open it up, connected to iTunes and "activate" it, which starts the contract. But if you don't activate it, and hack the iPhone and unlock it, Fanny's your aunty.


DJ OD

[H4ss4n]

Something like that. I believe you go to Apple shop, buy the iPhone over the counter. Take it home, open it up, connected to iTunes and "activate" it, which starts the contract. But if you don't activate it, and hack the iPhone and unlock it, Fanny's your aunty.


DJ OD

Hmmmmm. Sounds interesting. Will need to see how much they are going for in the States and then hopefully Fanny will be my aunt.

[DJ OD]

Blaggard bought one from a US ebayer and was pretty happy. I think he paid £250ish delivered, which isn't bad when normal SIM free handsets are usually over £350 especially when new.


DJ OD

[ant3b]

The i phone doesnt really interest me looks good but functionality seems limited no video etc or some thing

[fin23]

Blaggard bought one from a US ebayer and was pretty happy. I think he paid £250ish delivered, which isn't bad when normal SIM free handsets are usually over £350 especially when new.


DJ OD

I think that was the 4gb version though

[Scottio200]

Are they going to go down the road of activation in, like they did in the US? If they do people will buy the iPhone and not register it on O2, just unlock the thing and use a PAYG sim.

Apple are going to be doing this in this country, what you do is buy it, take it home and activate it you will be credit checked via iTunes, if you fail the credit check then o2 will be intouch to either sort out a deposit to be paid or will give you a pay as you go card like in the US. If you are all ready an o2 customer you can upgrade your account to work with iPhone and keep your number.

Really didnt expect apple to release a 3g or 16gb model like, if they do itll be released in the states first. Still not sure weather to get one of these, i mean i never use the internet on my phone, and couldnt tell you the last time i sent/recieved a mms message, the only thing ill probably de downgrading (usage wise) is the camera, but tbh i got a digital camera for proper photos. Im looking to get a ipod touch, but will the little bit extra be worth just having 1 gadget to carry around?

Scottio

[DJ OD]

Making perfect sense there Scottio. If I could pick up a 4gb one for about £100 i'd get one...

Bottom line is, my existing 80gb iPod video will do me in the most part for a long time. I would get the iPod touch, but given it's flash memory based, what's the point. Paying for GUI features, that look good yeah, but are not really changing my "experience" with apple...

I've played with the iPhone immensely, and the only things I would care about are on the iTouch iPod. But not selling to me yet! LOL!

I have a crappy Sony Eric W800 and that does me as a phone. I don't really want to carry about a £500 mugging target...

If apple do the same as the US with the activation thing, then they, and O2 are fucking up. The iHack has iFucked it for them.


DJ OD

[andymac746]

So to get this right I would have to pay £269 then £35 a month for 18 months if I wanted one?

[fin23]

So to get this right I would have to pay £269 then £35 a month for 18 months if I wanted one?

No, In the US you can walk into any apple store, pick up an Iphone for $399 take it home and never activate it with AT&T. Just unlock it, hack it a little and use any sim, pretty sure you can get away with never uing Itunes for your music too, its all good.

Basically it sounds as if thats going to be the case in the UK too, would be Ok.

Apple intened everyone to activate phone though Itunes to enable wifi, Ipod functions if you wanted to use the phone functions AT&T were there for you.

to get an 8g back from states at mo i am looking at paying around £230 with postage...

the unlock shagged all that to hell, great really.

[blaggard]

No video?? the screen is excellent and the video as good as I have seen, there was a problem with the unlock spoiling the onboard Youtube but that is long since sorted. As has been said you can buy from an Apple store or Carphone Warehouse, I imagine the sim will be in the box as in the States so just don't use it. Unlock it and enjoy. I would imagine if you use an O2 sim you'll get the Edge connecton too!! It's a good price for the 8 gig and way less than I expected so if you can wait go for it. I've been using this phone for five days now and I wouldn't be without it.

[eboy]

Im thinking about getting one from the states, much cheaper and theres no contract involved.

[blaggard]

How is it cheaper?? and I just got through explaining that there is no contract! It'll cost about £200 in the States, another £40 to customs then P&P, it'll cost about the same

[Keva]

Also theres the thing with it possably being DOA.

[blaggard]

Also theres the thing with it possably being DOA.

I don't think there have been many dodgy ones but it's always possible. Worth the risk for a big price difference but given the situation now a bit of patience is definately called for.

[eboy]

How is it cheaper?? and I just got through explaining that there is no contract! It'll cost about £200 in the States, another £40 to customs then P&P, it'll cost about the same

well £240 for the handset, unlocked and ready to go no contract can put your own sim card in and your away compared to

O2 contract £269 is it, thats just to get the phone and 18 months paying £35.

its obviously cheaper from the states, then a contract over here.

[Kushty]

No, they're saying it will probably have the same method of activation here (do it at home through itunes). If they do you can take it home without putting the sim in and just unlock it. I'm getting one imported from a friend in USA because I can get it 2 months early and marginally cheaper. Also, I'm not 100% sure o2 will use the same system. They will have seen the unlocking fiasco and seen the obscene amount of money lost. The standard system of signing the contract BEFORE you are handed the phone is completely secure for them. How apple convinced at&t to use itunes I will never know. If you sign before you get the phone, it doesn't matter if you unlock it, you're still contractually obliged. Why give away the phone and trust someone to sign up (bearing in mind, nearly all phones, shit nearly EVERYTHING gets hacked eventually)?!

[blaggard]

well £240 for the handset, unlocked and ready to go no contract can put your own sim card in and your away compared to

O2 contract £269 is it, thats just to get the phone and 18 months paying £35.

its obviously cheaper from the states, then a contract over here.

OK LAST TIME, £240 plus Postage and packing and the activation is the same as the States. It may be that if you buy from O2 online you will have to have a contract first but not from and Apple stores and possibly not from a carphone Warehouse! try actally reading my posts! . . .


Remember I'm not saying it's better to buy from here (I got mine from the States) but simply that now we know the price it might be better to wait, There's no guarantee that you'll get the low price that I got.