So O2 have confirmed that they are the exclusive Irish carriers of the Apple iPhone. This was pretty much a given considering O2 are the exclusive carriers in the UK.

Scouting around the blogosphere this morning, Engadget are reporting that the iPhone will

• retail at €399 inc. VAT for the 8gb model
• retail at €499 inc. VAT for the 16gb model
• will go public on Patrick’s weekend (launching March 14th)

The suggested price range is quite reasonable, all things considered. It also places the phone in the immediate price bracket of the Nokia N95, the first gen of which O2 are still shipping – though recent conversations I’ve had with O2 reps and other Irish bloggers suggest the N95 8GB model’s arrival is imminent.

I’m still set on swinging for the N95 8GB model but we’ll see what comes out of this morning’s announcements.

Update 1: Announcement to be made at 11:15am in O2’s Dublin HQ (via Damien Mulley)

Update 2: Pocket Lint are reporting that “Three new iPhone tariffs will be available from O2, starting at €45, all of which will include anytime minutes, texts and a 1GB data bundle.”