macnn/electronista

07/04/2007, 10:35am, EDT

Wednesday, July 4th

Vodafone to declare iPhone deal on Thursday?

The worldwide cellular carrier Vodafone may be about to announce a European hosting deal for the iPhone, say sources close to one website. newswireless reports that the company is merely waiting for American sales of one million units to be achieved, at which point it hopes to announce Vodafone, T-Mobile and Carphone Warehouse as distribution channels. With the record sales of the iPhone, this may be achieved as soon as Thursday; legal wrangling may yet cause a delay however, since one source notes that a contract drafted in Germany did not meet the approval of Vodafone's English lawyers.

Also threatening plans is the dwindling availability of the iPhone, since while Apple's inventory locator showed 100 percent availability on Saturday, this figure has fallen to 42 percent, and could sink further. Should a delay happen, Vodafone may have to announce a deal next week, or go ahead this week while using a different publicity hook, somehow exploiting the number of iPhones ordered.

The possibility of the announcement is buoyed by positive statements from Vodafone's German chief, Friedrich Joussen, and the identification of T-Mobile Germany as a candidate by the Rheinische Post. The paper is suggesting a November 1st launch for the European iPhone.

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Not Rogers, not Canada...
0
07/04, 11:13am, EDT
...I'm guessing Rogers is the fly in the ointment & holding out for a 'better' deal, knowing their aggressive history...

How about giving us an unlocked GSM option please & let the customers decide...?
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined Aug 2002
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unlocked!?
0
07/04, 1:22pm, EDT
Yes, it seems to me with the early success comes some confidence in making better deals in the rest of the world with respect to flexibility and diversity of services.

Just like with pharmaceuticals, the US consumer may eventually subsidize Canadian and European consumers. The AT&T deal doesn't have to go beyond our shores and as usual we let American corporate monopolies teach foreign (non-US) governments and consumers what mistakes to avoid.

There isn't anything wrong with that. In a way America "pioneers" new products and tech so that lessons can be learned. Unfortunately corporations have so little room to experiment fiscally, unless you are friends of the administration (think Enron), that they require vast legal contractual self-imposed regulations to keep investors secure.

Anyway I hope Canada, Europe and the rest push for more openness and give Apple and the American consumer a better model for future iPhone contracts.
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Subsidies?
0
07/04, 4:27pm, EDT
Try buying software in Europe, and then tell us how the US is subsidising the price for us.
Mac Enthusiast
Joined Jan 2001
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apple
0
07/04, 11:22pm, EDT
While using Safari for the Application interface, any one can use an App designed for the iPhone. But this is not without a few draw backs as well, all of the extra features of the phone cannot be utilized. An example would be a game not being able to use the included vibrate function for force feedback.

www.mp4-converter.net/iphone-converter/dvd-to-iphone/
Baninated
Joined Jun 2007
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subsidies?
0
07/05, 5:09am, EDT
exactly. Have you seen the price of Adobe CS3 in the UK compared to US?
Fresh-Faced Recruit
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re: subsidies
0
07/05, 1:07pm, EDT
Software is not what the OP of the subsidy comment was talking about. And while it is very true about Pharmaceuticals, things like Macs and Phones and SW are very unlikely to fall under the same sort of "subsidy" as that more or less requires a government intervention to set prices on the European side.
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Joined Oct 2001
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