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Topic: iPhone

iPhone to UK November 9; and here's a purple icon, too

Summary: Just this morning, Apple announced a November 9 launch for the iPhone in the UK.Price: £269, which equates to around $535 U.

Russell Shaw

By Russell Shaw for IP Telephony |

ituneswifimusicstore.jpg

Just this morning, Apple announced a November 9 launch for the iPhone in the UK.

Price: £269, which equates to around $535 U.S.

In fact, that's Steve Jobs, at a morning news conference in London. Photo via Engadget.

The purple icon? Why it leads to the iTunes Music Store.

As to the monthly calling plans, they are unlimited data, and include the option of:

£35 for 200 voice minutes and 200 SMS messages;

£45 for 600 voice minutes and 500 SMS messages;

£55 for 1200 voice minutes and 1200 SMS messages.

O2's EDGE network, but free WiFi for o2iPhone users at 7,500 Cloud hotspots.

Hey, I see the iPhone is already up on the Apple UK site:

iphoneuk.jpg

I wonder if the UK price of the iPhone will be lowered in 60 days, like it was here in the U.S.

Topics: iPhone, Mobility

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9 comments
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  • Re: "I wonder if the UK price of the iPhone will be lowered in 60 days"

    Are the pigs fed, watered and ready for take-off?
    Scrat
    Reply Vote

  • Price drop? Maybe necessary

    I think they may be getting in over their head taking this thing to Europe. Europeans don't pay for phones, they get them free with plans. Not your basic phone, they get high-end phones free with plans. Who in their right mind would pay $535 for a phone with the same features as the free one sitting right next to it? Well, I'm sure that some people in their "right mind" would be willing to, but I don't think that they're going to have the response that they had here. We're already accustomed to paying way to much for handsets. But I could be wrong.
    laura.b
    Reply Vote

    • The Price Could be a Problem..

      I just got a Nokia N95 free at 30.00 a month on Vodafone. Not as cool as the iPhone, but a boat load of more functionality. I haven't actually 'bought' a phone for the past 6-7 years. Its always been in the cost of the plan.

      Its not going to take off in the UK as it did in the US. The price prevents that. Also I can imagine that the new iPod Touch is going to be priced at the same price point and I think many of the people who would have gone for the iPhone will be getting a Touch instead thus denting the sales even further.

      Also I can't believe the thing is still 2.5g. I mean EVERY new phone in the UK has been 3g for quite a while now.

      Timbo
      TheBoyBailey
      Reply Vote

    • The $535

      is for people who buy the phone direct, it will probably be subsidized for people who take out contracts like most other phones are
      mrjonno
      Reply Vote

      • I don't think so..

        .. but what people seem to forget is that you buy an iPod with phone capacities, not a
        phone with some music capacities.

        So the people who want to buy a video iPhone might consider to spend a little more
        and get a phone inside their iPod, so you have an all in one device.. and it comes with
        7500 free wifi spots in the UK.
        Non-Zealand
        Reply Vote

    • Maybe not

      ((( "Who in their right mind would pay $535 for a phone with the same
      features as the free one sitting right next to it?" )))

      I paid $600 for an iPhone (well, $500 plus store credit), and the reason is
      simple: there is no other phone, free or otherwise, with the same features
      as the iPhone. No other phone works the same way, and none have a built-
      in iPod or Safari browser. No, generic music-playing ability doesn't count as
      an iPod, and Pocket IE doesn't count as Safari: iPod is the best music player,
      Safari is the best browser, and iPhone is the best phone. It's as simple as
      that, and worth every penny to those of us who judge based on quality over
      cost.
      buddhistMonkey
      Reply Vote

      • You may be underestimating

        The serious imbalance in the materialistic mindset of Americans versus, well, the rest of the world. Americans tend to want the newest and best thing, regardless of the cost, whether or not it is actually affordable or justifiable. The rest of the world (from opinions, anecdotes, and the news in general) doesn't seem to share the same desperation for the most hyped item.

        But perhaps that is a fallacy that has been inflated by popular perception. It could be off base.
        laura.b
        Reply Vote

    • Don't forget VAT

      The UK uses a VAT system where we add sales tax to the price at the point
      of sale.

      I don't think that there will be a price drop until after the Christmas buying
      season. In January there will probably be an upgrade in the amount of
      memory (16 gigs) with the current iPhone dropping and the new one
      taking that price point. I would also bet there is a second design on the
      market about that time.

      So who would buy one? Who would be nuts enough to buy a car that
      costs over $20,000? Or pump out tons of cash to get a REALLY big flat
      screen TV? People actually pay over $1,000 for a TV? Maybe people buy
      what they want when they can justify it to themselves.
      Ken_z
      Reply Vote

      • Read up a little on the VAT system

        It seems on the face of it that it results in the same price to the end consumer as a similar percentage as sales tax (which America and Canada use, and is my only basis for comparison, sorry :) ). Do you know anything about our sales tax system and does it generally result in more or less cost to the consumer from your experience?
        laura.b
        Reply Vote
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