I almost forgot about this one this morning until skimming the Guardian over breakfast, but Apple have announced the iPhone for the UK, with a release date of November 9th. Here’s some points to note from the press coverage this morning…
- The iPhone will retail at £269 (€386) and will be carried, as previously suggested, by O2
- There will be no discount on the handset
- First-time buyers subject to minimum 18 month contract with O2
- Steve Jobs wouldn’t talk revenue share
- Subscribers in UK will have bundled access to 7,500 WiFi spots – what does that leave Irish market?
- No 3G
- 80% of O2’s “high value customers” would love an iPhone, not necessarily buy an iPhone
- Contracts start from £35 (€50) per month including unlimited data
- EDGE and WiFi all the way
- UK only today, other European countries within the next quarter…
As much as I have a love for all things Apple, there’s still not enough in an iPhone to sway me, plus no concrete details on a rollout within the Irish market. Did someone tell me the Nokia N95 8GB model is hitting the shelves here around the same time?
I’m working on a Nokia N81 for long-term use by Kilkenny Music and hope that will offer you guys a point of comparison to the iPhone.
Bernie that sounds excellent. WiFi access, podcatcher, masses of storage, terrific compliment for KilkennyMusic.com on the go. Would be delighted if something came from this.
Not happy about the lack of 3G either. If ever there was a phone that could do with 3G or HSDPA support, this is it.
Too right – especially if its hitting the Irish market. Then again, look at the latest offerings out of the N-Series from Nokia, all the 3G, WiFi and HSDPA support one could look for 🙂
Nokia’s N-Series offerings just don’t float my boat I’m afraid.
You wouldn’t be tempted by an N95, features-wise?
Features-wise it’s a good phone. I’m totally unimpressed by the packaging though. I’ve played with an N95 for a bit and it just didn’t have any impact on me. The iPhone however won my heart in a few short minutes. When they but a better camera in it (the iPhone) and add 3G or HSDPA support, it will be the perfect phone for me.
Thats the downfall of the current run of the iPhone right there – why they haven’t opted for a more powerful camera and 3G support (Jobs prefers wifi over 3G) is beyond me, given the storage capacity of the device.
Isn’t there another Apple expo set for January? Possible announcement of the second version of the iPhone, at least with a camera enhancement…. 🙂 Become too accustomed to the 3.2mp camera on the K800i.