Carphone Warehouse notes high iPhone 3GS interest
updated 11:00 am EDT, Tue June 9, 2009
Carphone and iPhone 3GS
The iPhone 3GS is seeing considerable early interest in the UK, claims third-party retailer Carphone Warehouse. The company announced preordering intentions shortly after the end of Apple's WWDC keynote, and claims that over 6,000 people registered for more information within a two-hour period. Preorders are scheduled to open on June 10th.
The phone will launch in the UK on June 19th, the same date as the US. The 16GB model should cost as much as £185, depending on O2 subscription options, while a 32GB version will top out at £274. High prices are thought to be to blame for struggling iPhone sales in the region, proportionately much lower than in many wealthy countries. Efforts may have been sabotaged by the first generation of the product, which did not have 3G broadband in a market used to support from competitors.
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Jul 2005
O2 Prices
I'm currently paying £25 per month for 300 mins, 300 SMS, and 3Gb of data access (dongle) at the same speed as the 3GS.
To get the same deal from O2 will cost me £45-£50 per month, or an extra £450 over an 18 month contract, on top of the initial cost of the phone.
That's still off-putting to me, and I'd classify myself as an interested consumer (I'd jump at £35 per month, even if I had to pay slightly more for the phone - it's the £15 per month tethering charge that pushes the price too high).