iPhone launches on new Italian carrier, O2 sales up
updated 01:40 pm EDT, Fri June 19, 2009
iPhone European sales
The iPhone 3G S appears to be selling swiftly in the European market, with O2 anticipating 50-percent higher sales than the iPhone 3G launch. The carrier is observing a ten-fold increase in average foot traffic, with entry in prime locations limited to customers purchasing a new iPhone. Availability in Italy has been expanded, with a third carrier set to offer the devices.
“Last year we had a slower processing time for the first hour, but by 10am we were up and running fine. We are confident we processed as many customer as we could that day,” O2 spokeswoman Emma hart told Macworld. “We have been through the experience before so we are able to anticipate stock levels, and replenish them quickly.”
The carrier also noted that the black iPhone is selling three times as many units as the white variant, while half of the customers have already upgraded to the iPhone 3.0 firmware.
In Italy, customers previously were limited to purchasing the Apple handsets from either Tim or Vodafone. A third carrier, H3G, today announced that it will begin selling the 3G S model sometime in July, with the 8GB model to be free with subscriptions, according to Macity. Additional pricing information has yet to be announced.
In North America, customers have reported difficulties acquiring the new iPhones through Rogers in Canada. Technical difficulties regarding pricing for existing iPhone owners resulted in many customers waiting in line to get a device, then leaving the retail locations empty-handed.
