iPhone expectation grows ahead of today’s European launch

Tech News

By Stevie Smith Nov 9, 2007, 13:31 GMT

While some quarters may be doubting the potential impact of Apple’s iPhone in the UK thanks to a considerable price hike beside its US counterpart, there’s little denying the current surge of interest the device is mustering ahead of today’s 6pm launch. epa01168355 Expectation begins to build ahead of the official retail release of the iconic Apple iPhone in the UK and Germany, which goes on sale on Friday, November 09. EPA/ROLF NVENNENBERND

epa01168355 Expectation begins to build ahead of the official retail release of the iconic Apple iPhone in the UK and Germany, which goes on sale on Friday, November 09. EPA/ROLF NVENNENBERNDThe iconic iPhone smartphone official hits markets in the UK and Germany today, a retail event that has seen expectant consumers braving the inclement British weather to queue outside the Apple Store on London’s Regent Street for the opportunity to secure themselves 2007’s most high-profile ‘must have’ technological device.Recently labelled by Time magazine as "Invention of the Year", the basic 8GB model of the buttons-free and touch-screen iPhone will cost consumers £269 GBP, prior to additional monthly usage costs incurred by an exclusive 18-month carrier contract with O2 (T-Mobile in Germany). Despite the heavy unit price, which industry watchers believe will deter UK phone users accustomed to receiving a free handset along with the carrier contract, those waiting on Regents Street for the chance to purchase an iPhone seem unaffected by the financial outlay."It is amazing. I just like the fact that it brings everything I carry with me into one device," commented student Graham Gilbert (22), in a BBC News report. "I don’t have to think ‘have I remembered my iPod?’" While the iPhone does offer a wealth of technical plus points, attractive features, and multimedia functions, doubters point to its use of slow second-generation EDGE technology as a distinct detraction when measured against the connectivity speed of superior 3G networks. However, Greg Joswiak, Apple’s head of marketing for the iPhone, maintains that Apple did not favour form over function via the integration of EDGE to the iPhone, but instead chose to implement 2G as 3G severely impacts battery life. Interestingly, specifications indicate that the iPhone delivers around 8 hours of talk time on a single charge, while Nokia’s rival N95 smartphone, which is also 2G, only offers up 4 hours. This would perhaps suggest that if the impact of 3G caused as much as 50 percent battery loss on the iPhone, it would still have left the handset in a stronger connectivity position than the N95. Another potential negative issue for prospective iPhone users concerns the online coverage of EDGE, which presently only provides access for around 30 percent of the UK, which will mean that those living outside major cities will have to rely on free Wi-Fi Internet access via thousands of nationwide hotspots offered by The Cloud.Since its US launch on June 29, more than 1.4 million units of the iPhone have been sold. "People love their experience with the iPhone," enthused Joswiak. "They don’t love the experience with other phones. That is why our sales are through the roof."