Apple’s revolutionary iPhone will go on sale this Friday, November 9 at 6:02pm at Apple, O2 and Carphone Warehouse retail and online stores. iPhones will be available at more than 1,300 Apple, O2 and Carphone Warehouse retail locations across the UK, giving customers their first chance to get their hands on this revolutionary new product. iPhone combines three devices into one—a mobile phone, a widescreen iPod®, and a breakthrough Internet device—all based on Apple’s revolutionary multi-touch interface and pioneering software that allows users to control iPhone with just a tap, flick or pinch of their fingers.
“We can’t wait for our customers to get their hands on the iPhone this Friday night,” said Ron Johnson, Apple’s senior vice president of Retail, in the press release. “Every Apple retail store will offer support for iPhone at the legendary Genius Bar, and beginning Saturday morning you can learn how to get the most out of your new iPhone by attending a free workshop or scheduling a personal training session through our popular One-to-One program.”
“O2 stores are fully geared up for what will be the year’s biggest product launch,” said Mark Stansfeld, O2’s sales director, in the press release. “We’ve hired and trained hundreds of new iPhone specialists who will be in all 450 O2 stores giving live demos and showing customers how to get the most out of their iPhone.”
iPhone users in the UK will be able to activate their new iPhones using Apple’s popular iTunes software running on a Mac or PC in the comfort and privacy of their own home or office, without having to wait in a store while their phone is activated. Activating iPhone takes only minutes as iTunes guides the user through simple steps to choose their tariff and activate their iPhone. Once iPhone is activated, users can then easily sync all of their phone numbers and other contact information, calendars, email accounts, web browser bookmarks, music, photos, podcasts and TV shows just like they do when they sync their iPods with iTunes.
iPhone will be sold exclusively in the UK through Apple, O2 and Carphone Warehouse’s retail and online stores for £269 (inc VAT) with 8GB of storage and will work with either a Mac or PC. All Apple, O2 and Carphone Warehouse retail locations will allow customers to purchase up to two iPhones per person on a first come, first served basis. iPhone requires a new 18-month contract with O2.
Three iPhone tariffs will be available from O2 starting at £35, which all include free unlimited usage of the O2 mobile data network, and in a market first, free unlimited use of The Cloud, the UK’s largest single public Wi-Fi network, covering over 7,500 cafes, restaurants, airport lounges, pubs and other locations across the UK. In another market first, O2’s iPhone data tariff will be truly unlimited with no fair usage cap. Terms and conditions for data use will stipulate personal use only and prohibit use of the iPhone as a data modem, otherwise customers can surf and enjoy iPhone without limits.
iPhone activation will require an Internet connection; an iTunes Store account or a major credit card; the latest version of iTunes and a Mac or PC with a USB 2.0 port and one of the following operating systems: Mac OS X v10.4.10 or later; Windows XP Home or Professional with Service Pack 2 or later; or Windows Vista Home Premium, Business, Enterprise or Ultimate Edition.
Choose your tariff!
If you don’t have Apple stock, now is a great time to get some.
The iPhone is also going to be available in Germany on Friday.
Odd that there is no mention of this
There is a fair usage policy – see http://www.o2.co.uk/iPhone-Tariffs.html
I’ve heard mention of 200Mb per month.
Not really, who cares about the Germans? They bombed my chip shop.
WooHoo I cant wait!!
Gonna be in line this friday at the Brent Cross Apple Store.
Apple is gonna sell lorry loads in the UK.
I really want one, but have 6 months left on my current contract! The tariffs are also really expensive for what you get comparatively which is a bit of a shame. Hopefully by the time my other contract runs out, there’ll be a rev 2 iPhone with bigger storage, and hopefully cheaper tariffs! I really want one this friday though!!
I thought just a couple days ago, O2 lifted the unlimited limit for data, so that it is now like the US.
Glad to see you are keeping up with the news:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/11/06/unfair_o2/
O2 have dropped the fair usage limit.
“There is a fair usage policy – see http://www.o2.co.uk/iPhone-Tariffs.html
I’ve heard mention of 200Mb per month.”
not any more there isn’t just needs updating
Great news – just need O2 to update their website.
@ John
Yeah, O2’s website had me posting here about limited ‘unlimited’, The Cloud was limited to 60 hours per month too. But in The Telegraph last weekend they announced true ‘unlimited’ with no cap, which is a first in the UK for a MNO. The only caveat is that you do not use your iPhone as a wireless EDGE modem for a computer.
Carphone stores. That’s just stupid. How can anyone use an iPhone while driving and not kill someone?
re: Carphone stores. That’s just stupid. How can anyone use an iPhone while driving and not kill someone?
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Carphonewarehouse is a UK wide network of mobile phone stores. They basically have a store in amost every high street in the UK.
In the town where I live there are at least 4 Carphonewarehouse stores and 2 O2 stores.
But im gonna get mine from my nearest Apple Store as I prefer the shopping experience (and I can drool over the new macs too!).
Yes, buy stock now. In the UK, criminals only get a slap on the wrist if anything, as the Police are busy processing old grannies who are walking to slow on the sidewalk. With the amount of iPhones that’ll get stolen & replaced, they’ll sell more than they have in the US.
I suggest doing what I did, I bought one from the states and unlocked it then went onto Vodafone’s £45 tarriff for which they gave me a Nokia N95 Black 8GB which sold for £410 on ebay.
I paid £220 for the iPhone giving me a profit of £210 OR letting me buy a spare iPhone if I brick/drop/destroy my current one (or a new one comes out in January!).
I know it seems like a bit of a hassle to do all that but it worked out great for me. Do a bit of haggling at the vodafone store and they will even chuck in a bluetooth headset.
Be aware though that as of yet there are no unlocking methods for the 1.1.2 firmware that ships with the UK model of the iPhone but give the hackers a few days and they should have it sorted.