On the same day at the iPhone launches in the UK, Germany will get the device for almost the same price, $550, well above the $399 advertised in the US. T-Mobile, a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom has an exclusive deal with Apple. On the same day at the iPhone launches in the UK, Germany will get the device for almost the same price, $550, well above the $399 advertised in the US. T-Mobile, a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom has an exclusive deal with Apple.
T-Mobile will also be the carrier for the iPhone in Austria, the Netherlands, Hungary and Croatia. Since T-Mobile Netherlands bought Orange’s Dutch subsidiary, I assume I’ll be getting an announcement soon (I am an Orange subscriber).
What I consider to be a real shame is that the iPhone is launching in Europe without 3G functionality. There is already very good 3G coverage across Europe and indeed, companies like Vodafone and Orange are rolling out HSUPA (“3.5G”) which promises up to 1.4 Mbps uplink and 3.6 Mbps downlink. Steve Jobs claims that 3G consumes too much battery power. I don’t know if that’s true but I don’t care. I won’t be buying the iPhone unless it comes with 3G.
Meanwhile, Apple says it will fight iPhone hacks. Really.
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