O2 claims iPhone is its fastest-selling device -- ever
by Chris Ziegler 
posted Nov 19th 2007 at 9:07AM
Neither O2 nor Carphone Warehouse are interested in disclosing exact numbers regarding the opening week of iPhone sales in the UK -- a tightlipped tactic some are seeing as a sign that sales failed to meet expectations -- but for what it's worth, O2's got a few positive (albeit vague) things to say about the festivities. CEO of Telefónica O2 Europe Peter Erskine says that the iPhone has been the "fastest-selling device" for O2 ever. "Ever" is a strong word, but it's exactly the one Mr. Erskine chose during O2's most recent earnings call despite rumors that sales were light at retail outlets across the land. Furthermore, he claimed that a full two-thirds of buyers were new to the carrier; conquests from competing carriers are naturally more highly valued than upgrades, so that's a big deal if it holds true. British readers, what's your take? Is the buzz at a rolling boil, or have you yet to see an iPhone used in public?[Via iLounge]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
LeighG @ Nov 19th 2007 9:30AM
Gotta be honest, here in the UK a colour touch-screen phone with EDGE capability that'll show pictures and browse isn't such a big deal - we've got stacks of phones that'll do it, so it's just the "cool factor" of having one. However, for a whopping 269 and a big shackle to o2 for 18 months I've seen people walk out of o2's stores because it's too expensive, especially just before Christmas. The likes of the LG Viewty, HTC Touch Dual and others will get you noticed for a lot less money, plus the expandable memory will hold all the MP3's you want.
MatthewJ @ Nov 19th 2007 10:16AM
Yeah I have to agree. O2 saying that its the fastest selling mobile device ever is probably fairly true, because really its the first mobile phone in the UK thats had an "event launch" rather than just sneak quietly out onto the market.
Apple created this huge hype and probably everyone interested in buying one has already gone and done so, whereas phones like the N95 or whatever, they sell loads, but over a much longer period because they catch on through word of mouth or whatnot. The actual sales comparisons will be much more interesting, as will be any drop off rate.
Duncan @ Nov 19th 2007 10:37AM
Gotta agree to that as well, despite all the hype as well, the plans being offered are really not that good value for money. T-Mobile seem to be doing a pretty good trade on the HTC Kaiser as an alternative as well and the data plans are much better value for money. I work near Oxford St in London and the O2 stores were pretty quiet on launch day. With all the peaktime TV adverts etc I'm amazed they're thinking they'll make a decent return on this investment.
spaceage @ Nov 19th 2007 11:13AM
>>The likes of the LG Viewty, HTC Touch Dual and others will get you noticed for a lot less money, plus the expandable memory will hold all the MP3's you want.
Wow...you guys really are clueless over there. HTC=Windows Mobile. Does HTC stand for "Hold the Crap"? In the US, if you are caught using Win Mobile, you get sent back to the UK for being too stupid. And the LG Viewty? Did they dig that design up from a 1970s Dr. Who set? Seriously, that thing is UGLY. You'll get noticed using those two products for sure: noticed for being a twit.
Harry @ Nov 19th 2007 12:16PM
multi touch rocks!
definately not hype!
Andrew Fong @ Nov 19th 2007 12:32PM
spaceage, apparently, the Brits value function over form. In fact, a good chunk of Americans do as well -- including the numerous set of corporate users who haven't switched to an iPhone from Windows Mobile (or Blackberry) because it won't sync properly to their company e-mail servers.
daniel @ Nov 19th 2007 8:38PM
>spaceage said "you get sent back to the UK for being too stupid."
Is that a joke?
Love the irony ;)
LiSa @ Nov 19th 2007 9:55AM
LeighG...i couldn't thank you more for that comment! it's so refreshing to hear someone ELSE who's not that enthralled with this iphone CRAP. and with all that amazing tech you guys have there across the pond...this outdated heap shouldn't even cause you to blink twice. i'd take an HTC Touch Dual OR the LG Viewty ANYDAY over the iphone. but personally, i couldn't bear to part with my beloved Nokia N95 =D
way to screw the general population RIGHT BEFORE Christmas, apple.
Khris @ Nov 19th 2007 1:30PM
Yup.....Apple sure is screwing the general public by FORCING everyone to buy iPhones.
Daniel Nicholls @ Nov 19th 2007 10:05AM
honestly, I haven't seen any people using them. I will however say that mine garnered so much more interest once the table across from us overheard me saying that I was using it on Orange. I was drilled for how to do that, and where they can buy one. That proved to me that Apple made a huge mistake in making it exclusive here. People in the UK really do not care much for o2. Horrible value for money, horrible customer service. Apple cannot use the same tactics they used in the music market here in the phone market - they could have increased sales tenfold by selling this thing unlocked.
Dan x
Omagus @ Nov 19th 2007 10:35AM
Maybe Apple would have increased sales but that doesn't necessarily mean it would have made more money. Remember, Apple is getting paid on plans and data rates too. That's revenue it wouldn't be able to get by selling an unlocked phone.
JJV @ Nov 19th 2007 12:26PM
yes but if you look at it. 270 pounds is a lot more than the amount they are getting from the contract and they would have had a much higher sales value which means they would be able to have a firmer hand into the cell (phone) market. Not unlocking it was a big mistake on apple's part. I had an N95 before i went to an iphone except mine is unlocked and the reason people buy phones in europe is the business appeal if you need a smartphone. who cares if it is pretty. Apple really needs to fix this and we'll see about the unlocked iPhone in france debuting in 10 days.
tbl @ Nov 19th 2007 10:16AM
I agree the iPhone is a pile of tosh, but it's hardly Apple screwing the general population.
If any idiot is dumb enough to buy an iPhone over the N95 8GB, they deserve all they get.
The phone is pricey enough, and the contract options available are just laughable.
"but it's got unlimited EDGE data and WiFi", they cry.
Great, but I'll stick to my 3.5G HSDPA, and WiFi if it's all the same.
derX @ Nov 19th 2007 3:43PM
"If any idiot is dumb enough..."
Hrm.
Surur @ Nov 19th 2007 10:07AM
Its just the Apple fanboi rush. Every country has them ... like cockroaches...
Everyone else is waiting for the inevitable month 2 price drop after Christmas, when Apple has run out of fabois to milk.
htcO2User @ Nov 19th 2007 10:17AM
My cousin works at an O2 store in the city centre (wont say which city, but 1 of the 5 biggest cities in UK, also 1 of the 5 biggest student populated cities in the UK), and they only sold 12 phones the entire launch day. Other stores were supposed to have done somewhat better, but I'd say the numbers would be much lower than the expectations.
Fnet @ Nov 19th 2007 10:29AM
Why are they scared to give the numbers if "fastest-selling device" for O2 ever??. One must be crazy to buy such an expensive device in a country where there are a lot of other better phones available for a much cheaper price. Apple is pushing with a lot of advertisments to get people in this trap. The fanbois will run out soon and iphone will be catching flies in stores soon.
Robert @ Nov 19th 2007 10:31AM
I've only seen one being used in the U.K. so far and my mate bought it from america about 3 months ago so i guess it doesn't count. I havent seen anyone else using it outside the stores. however i have seen loads of people using N95 8GBs and K850is
Constable Odo @ Nov 19th 2007 10:37AM
Nobody cares whether you people like the iPhone or not. I'm glad there's only a few of you. I suppose if you drive a Mercedes and then a high-end Toyota you could argue that the Mercedes is not that much better, so why pay the premium plus higher service costs.
So big deal if the iPhone isn't for you. Let the so-called fools or fanbois enjoy it and you go buy something else that suits your technologically superior minds.
If they're the fastest selling handset, then that's what they are whether you approve of it or not. It may stop selling in a week. So whatever happens, happens. The industry does not revolve around one type of person. There are plenty of people that still want an iPhone regardless of the restrictions. That's their choice.
Fanboi this and fanboi that. Who gives a crap what you call your fellow humans as long as Apple is making money hand over fist for investors. I sure hope you people have investments into whatever super handset company you love so much.
Too expensive....SFS? You people are stupid crazy. Why don't you take a trip to a casino, racetrack or topless bar and watch people throw away money like it was nothing. WTF is with you? There are people that have plenty of money and those that don't. Which type of people you are is your problem, not everyone else's.
The D Train @ Nov 19th 2007 11:34AM
I have a feeling you like to listen to yourself talk too. People who gamble in casinos, or bet on racing, or go to tittie bars do it sometimes for funny and sometimes because they have an addiction, to gambling, or sex take your pick.
Comparing a persons phone choice and personality for making that choice, to a gambling addiction which is a life altering problem is a little too far fetched. Fade back into obscurity odo, because what you just wrote was pointless.
neil.hy @ Dec 6th 2007 10:21AM
Spot the gobby yank with nothing of worth to say!! (what do you mean 'They're all like that'?)
The D Train @ Nov 19th 2007 11:35AM
**fun not funny.
jon @ Nov 19th 2007 12:58PM
Nobody disputes it a big move forward on UI, but in the UK the iPhone is very expensive
1. We pay $540 for the phone (not $399)
2. 18 month contract $70 per month (not $60) - unlimited data and 200 mins (not 450 , no rollover, no free mobile to mobile) and 200 SMS (200 plus 5000 off peak)
Its a big heap of beans - and maybe we feel a little exploited.
YoungCaliHottie @ Nov 26th 2007 3:41PM
i cant argue the prices are higher and i can see how you would feel a bit exploited. but keep in mind it is not limited to just the iphone. even with subsidized prices in most cases (except iphone) our price plans are usually still cheaper yet include more usage. most companies in the US have unlimited mobile to mobile, so it really would not have been acceptable for the iphone to not have it either.
if you break out the minutes/features of the iphone plans, theyre actually the same as regular plans with each other feature added on. and att no longer requires the extra features for iphones.
we pay more for other features though. for example, individual texts without a plan are 15 cents each. also, both parties pay for airtime in the US. (it's not calling-party-pays and most plans do not have free incoming calls)
jon @ Nov 26th 2007 5:10PM
I think there is a growing consensus that the iPhone is selling slower in the UK than the US - what will be interesting is if this is repeated elsewhere ... only time will tell.
sp4rkz @ Nov 19th 2007 1:31PM
To be frank, I was really looking forward to getting an iPhone when it was first accounced but looking at the spec list and what it has against whats out there right now, it doesn't quite cut it.
First off are the ridiculous tariffs that go with it, 35 for 200 minutes and 200 texts, and unlimited data. The problem is the phone uses 2.5G, which isn't quite 3G, and then it doesn't do MMS.
I own a Sony Ericsson P1i, which isnt multitouch based, but then we have 3G, a far superior camera, Memory Stick expandability, non crippled bluetooth (supports A2DP), a hard QWERTY keyboard, FM radio, Walkman 2.0 AND additional apps.
iPhone just doesnt cut it.
Brian @ Nov 19th 2007 4:03PM
I love my iPhone.
ThePengwin @ Nov 20th 2007 10:52PM
i love my iPAQ
PhilipB @ Nov 19th 2007 4:24PM
The iPhone version 1 impresses and disappoints in equal measure. I wouldn't complain if someone gave it to me as a phone but it fails as a PDA due to its lack of business related software (word processing, spreadsheets and database) whilst the camera/video features are poor.
However, the main strength of the iPhone is its screen, which looks stunning, particularly when surfing in the WiFi environment of an O2 showroom. I have a Fujitsu Loox 720 PDA that has 640 x 480 pixels across its 3.7" VGA screen. I am considering buying an HTC Touch Dual that has a QVGA screen - 320 x 240 pixels across 2.8" diagonal. The PDA has roughly twice the screen area of the HTC so I can understand why VGA resolution is thought to be over the top for a WM6 Phone. The iPhone has a 480 x 320 - double all the QVGA devices out there and perfectly proportioned for its screen. Why can't HTC make 480 x 320 devices that work at 3.5 G with decent software and proper cameras. They truly would be iPhone killers!
ZSX @ Nov 20th 2007 4:15AM
The trouble is with legacy applications for Windows Mobile which are not resolution independent. Most of these older programs were designed for QVGA, so if you want to run it on a VGA screen everything is simply managed by pixel-doubling. HVGA was not one of the "official" resolutions for Windows Mobile and it is not easy to stretch a QVGA program into an HVGA screen.
On the other hand, Palm has been using HVGA for a very long while now, so it would have been fairly trivial for Palm/HTC to come up with an HVGA phone capable of running the library of Palm apps. Then again, this is Palm we are talking about, they stuck with the Treo's form factor while abandoning the TX's.
ventivent @ Nov 19th 2007 7:07PM
I took the plunge and bought an iPhone two weeks ago after using the Samsung Blackjack for a year. I love the form factor and the interface, but I found it lacking in terms of functionality. On the one hand, this is the first mobile device that I actually bothered to watch a video on, and to use as a regular music player. On the other hand the lack of MMS, poor keyboard, downright awful voice quality, slow network speed made it a poor business device. I have gone to the Blackjack after two weeks, and have also ordered a Motorola q9h.
I am seriously tempted to keep the iPhone around just to play with - it's interface is really addictive; but it just can't cut it for serious business users.
simon211175 @ Nov 20th 2007 5:28AM
quote spaceage "Does HTC stand for "Hold the Crap"?"
As a put-down comment, that really isn't very good. "Hold the crap" means "leave it out" or "do not include the crap", so you're saying that HTC doesn't have any crap, as they've left it out. Nice one.
The iPhone looks nice, has a nice UI and some funky features. It lacks lots more however, as people have mentioned, it has only EDGE, rather than 3G. Can someone with an iPhone please post how long it takes to stream a youtube video on an EDGE connection?
iPhone: 270
Tariff @ 35 for 18 months: 630
The look on your face as your 3G phone owning friends download a video in half the time: Priceless.
Paul @ Nov 20th 2007 1:00PM
I think HTC more appriately stands for "Have Terrible Cameras" :o)
Aside from that, HTC have released some of the most popular smartphone/pocket PC devices to date.
As for 02's iphone being their fastest selling device, what other fast selling handset have they had to compare to? This is one of the only few exclusives (if perhaps the only) they've had. No wonder they won't release sales figures
Paul @ Nov 20th 2007 12:51PM
I have to be honest, the iPhone looks cool, and some of it's neat features are yet to be seen on alternative handsets, but I won't be rushing out to get one. The Gadget Show on Channel 5 in the UK did a battle, the iPhone v Nokia N95, and the N95 kicked it's ass in all tasks, text messaging, phone calls, camera, video camera (iphone doesn't have one), GPS (iPhone doesn't have it), 3G (iPhone doesn't have it) blah blah blah.....
The only advantage the iPhone had over the N95 was looks. Something that advertises you to theives, and getting your head kicked in to grab it from you. No thanks.
Integrated GPS, 3G and HSPDA are the latest 'must have' features on today's handsets, the Nokia N95, Kaiser, E-TEN Glofish X800 all have those (plus others not mentioned) and they can be purchased SIM free or at a lower cost on contract than the iPhone.
270 for the iPhone without contract would have seen sales soar, or cheaper handset with the mininum term contract, like all other phones available today. If the iphone had GPS, HSPDA and 3G then it could be worthy of the price tag, but it doesn't. The price tag for this iphone on 02 "and" the expected minimum 18 month set price contract is just ridiculous.
As others have already said, there are handsets already out there at a fraction of the price, all of which are compatible with software and Music widely available.
wantfreeiphone @ Nov 20th 2007 2:37PM
I love the iphone, but couldn't quite bring myself to fork out the ridiculous price tag. Traditionally, a decent phone comes for free...but with a mid-entry mobile price plan and ends up with you being tied down for 12 months. With the iphone, they want to tie you down for 18 months and want you to pay 269 for the device. On 18 month deal, that iphone should have been free.
As a comparison, i have an O2 Orbit, excellent little phone, free on O2 at 45 per month free satnav software thrown in with car kit etc. These phones are still selling on ebay for 250plus.
The iphone is not that much different than and ipod touch (except for the obvious, doesnt have phone functionality), but my point is, that a 16gb Touch (twice the iphones capacity) is 269. Is there actually that much extra development in the iphone to justify a 269 price tag and a 18 month "subsidised" tarriff (remember, mobile tarriffs are traditionally high and lengthy because we are subsidising the handset). It can't be that much extra for the phone radio license or whatever you call that side of it, especially when you can buy a PAYG phone these days for 10quid or so (mobile radio licenses can't be that expensive then these days).
My Orbit was up for renewal and i was very nearly tempted to go for the iphone, but it just goes against all my principles. I won't be bullied into an 18month contract and i wont pay for a device and then subsidise it with a lengthy contract. Instead i have stuck with the orbit for now and bought a ipod Touch. Cost 269 but twice the capacity and great little media player and internet on it is great too via wi-fi. Apple are realeasing a development kit next year so it has a great future.
I agree with the pros and cons out there with the iphone and the pros and cons for the likes of the N95 and HTC devices. But, whilst the other devices are great at doing the things the iphone is rubbish at, (mms, camera, business sofware etc), they do not come close to being as easy to use as a mp3 device, or playing movies and even the internet via wi-fi is much better than windows mobile.