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June 16 - 6:45pm EDT
Several European carriers, including Orange in France and T-Mobile in Germany, have announced pricing for the iPhone 3G S. The new handset will be available from Orange on June 19th, with the 16GB model carrying a price of 149 (~$205 USD). Customers choosing the 32GB variant will have to pay 229 (~$315 USD) for the device. [full story]
April 28 - 2:55pm EDT
Progress is so far slow or non-existent on Apple's Parisian retail store near the Louvre, photos supplied by a MacNN source suggest. The photos, taken on April 24th, show an essentially empty space, without any evidence of the forthcoming occupation by Apple. The site also appears to lack any sign of active construction, though surfaces are clean and possibly ready for tiles and paneling. [full story]
March 11 - 3:45pm EDT
French carrier Bouygues Telecom has set a date of April 29th to begin carrying the iPhone, an announcement reveals. Subscriptions will range in price from approximately 38 to 77 a month, and provide anywhere from two hours of voice calling to four hours of daily talk plus unlimited nights and weekends. Unlike the plans offered in many countries, all of the Bouygues options will include both unlimited texts and unlimited data. [full story]
February 18 - 10:55am EST
Some new and previously-revealed Apple Stores have appeared on an official company map, reports observe. Among these is a site in Paris, France, which is generally expected to appear in the Carrousel du Louvre, but could be beaten by a shop situated near the Garnier operahouse. Also mentioned is a store in Milan, Italy, the potential location of which remains ambiguous. [full story]
February 4 - 11:15am EST
The sudden lifting of iPhone exclusivity in France will remain in effect, a ruling from the Paris Court of Appeals has declared. In December, the country's national competition council ordered Apple and official carrier Orange to temporarily permit other companies to sell the device, pending deeper investigation into complaints from Bouygues Telecom. Apple and Orange subsequently filed an appeal, but this was denied by a Parisian judge in a 19-page Wednesday ruling. [full story]
January 14 - 3:50pm EST
In spite of word from Apple, the Carrousel du Louvre Apple Store may not be the first in France, an anonymous source claims. The source suggests that Apple will instead launch its first store on Paris' Rue Halιvy, located immediately next to the famous Garnier operahouse. The location could be extremely beneficial to Apple, as it is a high-traffic area frequented by tourists and Paris' richer inhabitants. [full story]
January 12 - 9:45am EST
The official iPhone carrier for France, Orange, achieved solid sales during the Christmas season, according to national newspaper La Tribune. People within Orange are said to be claiming triple the sales of December 2007, or approximately 210,000 phones. Between November 28th and December 31st of 2007, the company is known to have sold roughly 70,000 iPhones. [full story]
December 26 - 9:35am EST
People looking for an iPhone in France can now buy one without having to go through the country's official carrier, Orange, a local retailer has announced. FNAC is now selling a contract-free version of the iPhone 3G, though at a significant markup. An 8GB version of the phone is priced at 799 ($1,123), while black or white 16B models are selling for 899 ($1,263). By contrast, similar options in Belgium are priced at only 529 and 619. [full story]
December 18 - 9:30am EST
Apple will soon be giving away various media downloads as a way of promoting the iTunes Store, the company has confirmed. Starting December 26th, at least in the United Kingdom and France, Apple will be offering one free download every day until January 6th, as a part of its 12 Days of Christmas promotion. The exact identity of the content is unknown, but Apple describes it as varied, consisting mainly of rare singles and exclusive live tracks, as well as music videos. [full story]
December 17 - 2:55pm EST
Fast on the heels of Apple's announcement that it will pull out of the Macworld 2010 expo, and that CEO Steve Jobs will not keynote the Macworld 2009 event, comes news that Reed Exhibitions has canceled 2009's Apple Expo Paris. Apple itself has had diminishing participation in the show for a number of years; Jobs scrapped a 2005 keynote, though he and Apple attended the show as his first appearance after cancer surgery. He has not visited the show in any capacity since 2006. [full story]
December 17 - 9:40am EST
Apple must at least temporarily allow carriers other than Orange to sell the iPhone in France, the country's competition regulator has ordered. The ruling stems from a complaint filed in September by Bouygues Telecom, accusing Apple and Orange of hurting competition. The regulator has so far agreed, calling the deal a "serious and immediate threat" to competition in the cellular world, as well as something that could lead to increased costs for people switching carriers. [full story]
August 26 - 1:05pm EDT
French cellphone carrier Orange has admitted to imposing artificial limits on its 3G broadband network, reports say. The confession comes after complaints from a number of iPhone 3G owners, who in testing their download capacity discovered that they were limited to a maximum of 400Kbps, as compared to the 1.8Mbps possible on T-Mobile's German network. Most 3G networks are limited to a peak speed of 3.2Mbps, although some may support 7.2Mbps. [full story]
July 16 - 3:40pm EDT
Orange France, the only carrier in the initial iPhone 3G launch to miss July 11th, has officially unveiled its prices for the local release at 8AM on the 17th. In general, an 8GB phone with Origami costs 149, while a 16GB one is 199. These prices escalate to 199 and 249, though, when people pick the Zen/Star 1h & 2h package, and 399 and 499 with a block package. [full story]
July 4 - 3:05pm EDT
Apple Expo '08 Europe's major Apple conference, akin to Macworld in the US is set to occur from September 17th to the 20th in Paris, France, and the organization has detailed several of the planned events. The Unofficial Apple Weblog details that the conference will see two iPhone events among the 30 other currently planned occasions. Access to the event is currently free, but will cost 12 without a pre-registered access badge. [full story]
June 26 - 9:40am EDT
New details for the release of the iPhone 3G have been published in several European countries. French carrier Orange has announced that the 8GB model will cost 149 in tandem with an iPhone-specific contract and high-end options such as Origami, First and Jet. Under the same arrangement, a 16GB phone will cost 199. Owners of present 2.5G iPhones will be able to upgrade for 99 and 149, though only people who bought before June 12th will eligible, and the discount is through a 100 rebate and a renewed, two-year iPhone contract. [full story]