O2 says Pre strong, gives no iPhone look

O2's British division today said that the UK launch of the Palm Pre was successful. A spokesperson declined to say how many had been sold but told TechRadar that the carrier sold more Pres on Friday than it normally does all other phones. Many of these were also often buying one or sometimes two of Palm's Touchstone inductive charging dock.

The absence of more definitive numbers suggests that the Pre wasn't competitive with the iPhone 3GS, which created shortages at O2 when it appeared early this summer. However, its actual sales rate is expected to vary sharply from the US due to pricing practices. While Sprint had to turn to a price cut to help Pre sales in the US, the UK release is helped by O2's preference for giving away handsets for free to those who sign up for contracts of a minimum value.

Adding the Pre also restores a minor advantage to O2 this fall after it lost its iPhone exclusivity to both Orange and Vodafone.

By Electronista Staff