“While the cheaper of Apple Inc.’s new iPhones has disappointed critics who say it’s not priced low enough, in Europe it may still help carriers achieve what’s become rare in a region where wireless devices outnumber people: finding new customers,” Amy Thomson and Marie Mawad report for Bloomberg News.
“The iPhones introduced this week are also finally compatible with more of Europe’s high-speed, fourth-generation networks, addressing one of the big let-downs of the last model, whose 4G capability was only supported by a few carriers,” Thomson and Mawad report. “Making iPhones — the second most-popular smartphone in Europe after Samsung Electronics Co.’s devices — more accessible may attract customers so far deterred by the sticker shock. Many European carriers don’t subsidize the price of devices, so customers aren’t used to getting prices slashed in exchange for signing onto service contracts.”
Thomson and Mawad report, “The iPhone 5C will sell for as little as 599 euros ($800) in Germany, Apple said this week. That’s 80 euros less than the previous iteration, according to data compiled by Bloomberg, and 100 euros less than the low-end of the fancier iPhone 5S, which also debuted this week. And it brings Apple even with Samsung’s Galaxy S4, which is priced at about 600 euros in Germany.”
“The new iPhone will also support the frequencies that most European carriers use to deliver 4G service. The iPhone 5, which was 4G compatible, worked on the 1,800 MHz band that’s popular in the U.S. It was another story in Europe, where EE in the U.K. and Deutsche Telekom AG’s German network were among the only carriers that could sell the device with the high-speed service,” Thomson and Mawad report. “Expanding the frequency range to include 4G bands in the 800 MHz wavelength means Vodafone Group Plc, France’s Orange SA, Telefonica and others that are deploying 4G networks this year will be compatible.”
Read more in the full article here.
Related articles:
Doug Kass: Apple is making a strategic mistake with iPhone 5c ‘dud’ – September 11, 2013
Apple opts for profit over market share with not-so-cheap iPhone 5c – September 11, 2013
The true objective of Apple’s new iPhone 5c – September 10, 2013
Why would anyone buy an iPhone 5c instead of an iPhone 5s? – September 10, 2013
Apple reveals flagship iPhone 5s with Touch ID, the world’s first and only 64-bit smartphone – September 10, 2013
Apple unveils iPhone 5C; pre-order September 13th, on sale September 20th – September 10, 2013
Apple to release iOS 7 with completely redesigned user interface on September 18 – September 10, 2013