Belgian iPhone delayed due to protection law

updated 03:15 pm EDT, Fri July 4, 2008

Belgian iPhone delayed

Belgian iPhone customers will have to wait a bit longer than the earlier-announced July 11th launch date, since the device is subject to a law prohibiting a device to be sold in conjunction with a required subscription. French language site MacBidouille reports that the law counters Apple's plan of offering exclusive arrangements for some countries, since the lack of a contract would mean that the device would not be tied directly to Mobistar.

A revised date was not readily available from either Apple or Mobistar.

By Electronista Staff

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iPhone, industry, Belgium, Mobistar

Comment buried. Show

drole.homme

Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jun 2007

-14

07/04, 03:26pm | report spam | (1 reply) close | reply

i heart les francais

I love how the French make these rules and the French don't even care about them. Everyone that I've talked to say that they just keep the same cellphone and plan. The law is nice but they really don't care. Most still get their phones subsidized like the good ole USA. How rigolo!

Guest

Joined: Nov 1999

-6

07/04, 03:44pm | report spam | (1 reply) close | reply

Go Belgium!

I have been advocating a similar proposal in the last year, an American law making it illegal for a company, such as Apple, to force you to sign up with another company's subscription service at time of sale. This should be an obvious law, but perhaps the troglodytes in Washington are too busy dealing with funding for the next laser-guided missile.

sascha.leib

Joined: May 2005

+12

07/04, 04:20pm | report spam | close reply

I heart les Americains

No clue about the rest of the world, but always thinking they know better: Belgium and France are two distinct countries who may share a border and (partially) a language, but not terribly much more.

07/05, 12:11pm | report spam | close reply

Distinction

Just to re-emphasize the comment from the gentleman drole.homme. I am not sure that your statement is entirely justified, and in this context, it would see way off. Reason simply being that Belgium is a very different country than France with very different laws. While the two both have French, the Belgians also tend to speak Dutch, Flemish, and English, and perhaps many other dialects. The requirement that you should not be forced to buy a subscription just because you bought a device seems entirely justified, and how US regulators have dropped the ball is beyond me. Chock it up to confused priorities, I guess.

galley

Joined: Jun 2006

07/06, 03:20pm | report spam | close reply

Why an obvious law?

I don't see why that restriction would be an obvious law. Why shouldn't Apple be able to place any restriction they want, as long as people are aware of it? If you don't like it, don't buy it!

07/09, 09:14am | report spam | close reply

Belgian frites not French

To drole.homme: Using your geography Canada is part of the USA. These are different countries.

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Belgian iPhone delayed due to protection law

updated 03:15 pm EDT, Fri July 4, 2008