Apple's iPhone arrived in Europe this Friday. The UK and Germany were the first countries to have the device on the shelves.
The debut in Germany went pretty well for the iPhone, stated T-Mobile, Apple's official (and only) local partner. The telecom company stated that it sold over 10,000 devices during the first day. UK operator O2 did not offer any specific details about day-one iPhone sales in the island, but kept claiming that the demand met the expectations.
Still, chances are that customers are still holding back waiting for some serious price cut. At present time, the European iPhone retails for significantly much more than it does in the US. In Germany the Apple phone is sold at Euro 399 ($587), while UK citizens are supposed to pay $33 less ($566). Currently, the iPhone retails in the States for $399.
Other European countries are supposed to join the iPhone frenzy this year, while the launch in Asia will only occur in 2008. Perhaps the most important European launch will be the one in France, where Apple is required by the law to ship two models of the same device: one that would only work in the Orange network (Apple's French partner) and an unlocked one.
It would be interesting to see which model will prove to be more popular. Also, many wonder if the both the English and the Germans will feel like crossing the border to get the “no strings attached” iPhone model. Speculation has it that Apple might ship unlocked iPhones in a short supply, as well as tagging them with a prohibitive price, just to “encourage” customers to stick with the 2-year plans.
Also, chances are that other measures meant to limit the amount of unlocked iPhone that can be purchased at once might be under way. Any bets on cash restrictions for Europe?
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