Germany, Britain iPhone sales start Friday

IPhone to Hit German, British Markets

9 hours ago
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Apple's iPhone will go on sale in Germany and Britain on Friday, making its European debut four months after its launch in the United States.
"We assume that the device will find a very good reception on the market," said Rene Bresgen, spokesman for Deutsche Telekom AG's T-Mobile, the exclusive carrier for the iPhone in Germany. In Britain, mobile operator O2 is the designated carrier.
The iPhone, an Internet enabled, cell phone-iPod media player, got an enthusiastic reception in the U.S. with sales pushing past 1.4 million since its debut June 29.
Consumers in Britain will pay 269 pounds ($566) for the 8-gigabyte model — or about $67 more than what Apple charges in the United States. In Germany the phone will cost 399 euros ($587.41). Both European price tags include value-added tax.
Deutsche Telekom Chief Executive Rene Obermann told CNBC Europe said the preregistration demand for the phone in Germany was big.
"We're not giving out precise forecasts, but registrations on our Web site lead me to believe (the Christmas season) will be a strong sales period," he told the network. "The real question for me is whether we have enough devices and can meet customer demand."
In Britain, Apple, O2 and Carphone Warehouse stores are hiring extra staff in an effort to handle the hoped-for onslaught of iPhone fanatics, but analysts say the device is unlikely to elicit the consumer frenzy seen in the United States.
Apple Inc. cut the price of the 8-gigabyte iPhone in the United States from $599 to $399 and discontinued the $499 4-gigabyte version. It apologized to those who had paid full price and offered $100 credits to early buyers.
France Telecom will sell the iPhone in France through its wireless arm, Orange, beginning Nov. 29.
As in the United States, the phone will not operate on Europe's fastest cellular data networks. But when it's within range of a Wi-Fi hotspot, it automatically connects to the faster technology.

Apple iPhone customers warned by police
By Nicole Martin, Digital and Media Correspondent
Last Updated: 12:01am GMT 08/11/2007



Police warned owners of Apple's new iPhone yesterday to hide the handsets in public amid fears that they could be the target of muggers.

Scotland Yard believes that high-value handsets are the driving force behind street robberies, especially among young people.

The warning comes as stores across Britain are preparing for the launch tomorrow of what has been described as the "God phone".

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Queues are expected to form early tomorrow outside more than 1,300 Apple, O2 and Carphone Warehouse shops, which will be selling the £269 device from precisely 6.02pm.

The combined phone, digital music player and internet browser has become one of the most sought after gadgets in history. Since its launch in America in June, the internet has been abuzz with breathless excitement about its arrival in Britain.

But police fear that owners of the device risk being attacked if they use it conspicuously in public. Owners of Apple's iPod were issued with a similar warning three years ago after it emerged that they were being targeted by muggers who could spot the digital music players by their distinctive white leads.

Scotland Yard said yesterday: "We are aware of the launch tomorrow of Apple's iPhone and we would encourage people not to attract attention to themselves when using a mobile phone in public."

To prepare for the launch, retailers have carefully followed the experience of America where some enthusiasts staked out spots outside Apple's flagship store on New York's Fifth Avenue three days before it went on sale.

But with only two days before the iPhone arrives in Britain, a number of websites have emerged on the internet offering "unlocking" for hackers wanting to make the gadget compatible with other network providers other than O2. They include iPhoneUnlock.com and AppleiPhoneUnlock.co.uk.

However, Apple has warned that installing one of the unlocking programs could make the iPhone "permanently inoperable" when future software updates are released.