“Apple’s next-generation iPhone could be available in Britain for about £100 (US$197) next month,” Lilly Peel reports for The Times.
“Apple is expected by analysts to allow mobile phone operators to subsidise the touch-screen handset, which is likely to use third-generation technology, giving it much faster internet access and download speeds,” Peel reports.
“Steve Jobs, the chief executive and co-founder of Apple, is expected to unveil the new phone during his keynote speech at the company’s Worldwide Developers’ Conference in San Francisco on June 9,” Peel reports.
“A source close to the deal said that the new model was expected to be on shops’ shelves by July, very shortly after the launch in the United States,” Peel reports.
“UBS analysts believe that the new iPhone could be available across Europe for as little as €99 (US$154), but think that this price is unlikely to be that low in the UK,” Peel reports.
Full article here.
I don’t think the iPhone will be $200. Higher!
Please be true. Please. 😀
At that price, an iPhone for every man, woman and child…..even ZuneTang.
Zune Tang is not worthy to have an iPhone…
Holy! Moly!! Can someone urgently construct a mastodon sized super jumbo bath to contain an insurmountable amount of BLOOD!!!!! I fear for the nation if a suitable vessel is not constructed in time…..ie before that ridiculously cheap iphone is released.
Of course the other side of the coin would be a heavily subsidised iphone in exchange for rip a hole in your pockets monthly contracts.
Watch this space, only time will tell.
1) If you’re Apple, it’s going to be very difficult keeping up with demand if those prices are true.
2) If you’re Microsoft and it’s “partners” (seems a funny word, when “beatch” sums it up more clearly) It’s going to be very difficult getting people away from their iPhones once they have them. Just like nobody every stopped using an iPod and switched to a Creative.
3) If you’re Rob Enderle (or similar), how – when the iPhone user count hits 200M by the end of 2010 — are you going to explain to the press that you were wrong when you said Apple wouldn’t be able to execute on iPhone? How are you going to explain the massive corporate take-up with the release of the SDK and all of the enterprise-friendly features?
How will this work? Do you buy it at a reduced price then register it at home? If that’s the case then Apple will have to sell it reduced themselves. If O2 are only going to subsidise phones sold from their store then what’s the point of Apple selling them from their stores? If it is sold on a reduced basis then they better beef up the security to prevent them being unlocked or revamp the system in some fashion.
That’s the amazing thing about Enderle! No matter how often he’s completely wrong, the press keeps quoting him.
It seems if this is true that you will have to sign a new contract in-store with O2 when you buy the iphone…….hmmmmm……I need a new phone.
Maybe they set it up where you buy it at full price and then get the discount once you register it through iTunes. That way only the subscribers to authorized carriers get the discount.
99 euro…….. + 99 euro per month for the service…… with lots of restrictions….
Anyone know when Apple’s exclusive deal with AT&T;will end, allowing the iPhone to sold (with all of its features usable) through other U.S. carriers?
Is it 5 years or less than that?
I thought Apple would be embarrased to sell mobile phones sub 100€, candybars anyobody? I also thought there would be no need for 3G, GPS and all the other “we dont need that in iPhone” stuff…and now you are drooling whenever 3G or GPS is mentioned with the iPhone, you MacFanBois are wierd creatures, do you even know yourself what you want?
@Island Girl
The exclusive deal with AT&T;was for five years so there are about four years left on that. No-one seems to know if that only applies to the 1.0 iPhone, if it includes the 2.0 iPhone, or all “iPhone like devices” or what though.
@ @MacFanBois
I know what I want, a sleek, elegant, easy to use, fast, reliable, secure device that can access the internet, make calls, check email, receive SMS.
I already have one, it’s called an iPhone. Whatever is inside it, I don’t care. It’s the software, stupid.
@MacFanBois
SlimJim has it right. And I want Steve to release products when the market is ready for them so my stock gains another 400%
Whatever, so long as they don’t fleece you in the plans. I’ll buy each and everyone of you an iPhone gratis if you agree to pay me $100 a month for a $50-capped service.
99 €? Madness. Sparta, even. Never gonna happen.
@@MacFanBois
I thought Apple would be embarrased to sell mobile phones sub 100€, candybars anyobody? I also thought there would be no need for 3G, GPS and all the other “we dont need that in iPhone” stuff…and now you are drooling whenever 3G or GPS is mentioned with the iPhone, you MacFanBois are wierd creatures, do you even know yourself what you want?
What? Umm no one ever said we didn’t want these features. Steve Jobs said that at the time the first generation iPhone was released, these features were not ready yet. They couldn’t give us 3G and/or GPS without seriously impacting how long the iPhone would stay charged.
Of course iPhone users would like their phones to have more features but that doesn’t negate the fact that even without these features the iPhones are awesome phones. I enjoy my iPhone immensely because of the features it does have and how well said features are implemented.
As far as the pricing thing well that’s just idiotic. If Apple can give me the same quality phone for cheaper and they still end up getting paid the same, I don’t think they’d be embarrassed to have an insanely successful and widely accessible phone.
The Times were also one of the newspapers that prominently announced that the iPod mini was going to be sold for $100.
That turned out to be a complete fabrication and when the iPod mini was announced, people were disappointed because the price was well over $100 ( about $250 at launch if I remember right ).
However, as we now know, although initial reaction was subdued ( remember the stunned silence at the keynote when the price was announced ), it went on to become one of the best selling iPod ever.
I’m prepared to believe that a special low-end iPhone ~could~ be sold for the sort of price mentioned, but I don’t see them selling a fully featured iPhone 2 for that sort of money, although I’d love to be proved wrong.
I don’t think Apple could get away with such pricing only in Europe and still charge $299 or whatever here in the states or in Asia or down under. Apple has been very hesitant to subsidize phones, which is what it would have to do if the iPhone were to reach that price point. Apple would rather have fewer sales but keep it’s profit margins rather than cutting the price just to sell more units.
The only other alternative is that Apple is going to get a much bigger slice of the monthly access charge, which probably means higher monthly bills for our European friends.
I think this is rumor and wishful thinking, nothing more.