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Fans Cheer as Apple's iPhone Finally Hits Europe
Posted by
CowboyNeal
on Sat Nov 10, 2007 09:14 AM
from the fall-is-apple-season dept.
from the fall-is-apple-season dept.
An anonymous reader sent in this article which opens, "Apple fans lined up through Yesterday night in Germany and Britain to be among the first in Europe to buy an iPhone, the must-have gadget that is set to shake up the mobile industry." Over 10,000 phones were sold in Germany by Friday afternoon. In France, however, the iPhone doesn't arrive until the end of month.
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Submission: Fans Cheer as Apple's iPhone Finally Hits Europe by Anonymous Coward
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France's iPhone (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:France's iPhone (Score:5, Interesting)
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Re:France's iPhone (Score:5, Interesting)
people always bitch about Apple hardware being expensive (possibly true if you think product design and building are services that should be provided for free and companies shouldn't make any profit).
what do you think the one-off price SHOULD be for the iPhone?
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Re:France's iPhone (Score:4, Insightful)
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Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
does it follow that the research, development and manufacture of the multi-touch technology is nothing?
if you don't think something is worth having, the appropriate response is to not buy it, not claim it's too expensive.
Re:France's iPhone (Score:4, Insightful)
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
The 8 gig onboard helps to make it a little more directly comparable to an iPhone.
Re:France's iPhone (Score:4, Insightful)
For an EDGE-only phone with no installable applications, a 480x320 screen, no voice dialing, no A2DP, limited chat, no OBEX, no modem functionality, and lots of other limitations?
Yeah, I think that's overpriced.
about what I paid for my 5G when that came out.
There are no 5G phone [wikipedia.org] yet.
Parent
Re:France's iPhone (Score:4, Informative)
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Re:France's iPhone (Score:5, Funny)
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Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
There are dozens of countries in Europe and the iPhone has been announced in three (including France). So I'm not sure what you mean by the French getting the phone last?
Wikipedia has some facts [wikipedia.org] for you.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
It's Kind Of Sad... (Score:3, Insightful)
And so few are outraged that that traffic (or at least the connections) will more than likely be logged by the government against the will of the people.
There's no outrage though - we get an iPhone!
Sad.
"It was love at first sight," said one 50-year-old (Score:5, Funny)
Not so good for Apple (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Not so good for Apple (Score:5, Insightful)
This is easy to explain. The iPhone brings nothing new to the table in Europe, where all of its features are available generally in other phones, and most are common in any high-end phone. In America, which for some reason appears to be 2-3 generations behind Europe in the mobile phone arena, this isn't true.
iPhone in America = OMFG this phone has everything, even a camera!iPhone in Europe = Pretty, cool, doesn't do X as well as Nokia or Y as well as Sony Ericsson and OMFG the price!
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Re:Not so good for Apple (Score:5, Insightful)
I generally agree that cellphone tech lags in in U.S., but you realize that pretty much the same high-end Nokia and Samsung phones sold in Europe are also sold in the U.S., right?
It's not the phones themselves that are hampering the tech, it's the carriers.
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Re: (Score:3, Informative)
I generally agree that cellphone tech lags in in U.S., but you realize that pretty much the same high-end Nokia and Samsung phones sold in Europe are also sold in the U.S., right?
A lot of those phones, though, aren't sold through the carriers in the US, and therefore most American consumers never see them.
You don't get it... (Score:4, Insightful)
The point is that the iPhone does mostly what other phones do in a new way. The phone works like a cellphone would if it had just been invented, unlike other cellphones which are essentially a lot of bling and tech-spec thrown onto foundation/philosophy from 10 years ago. And that's why the iPhone is all that. And that's why you'll read reviews on European sites that say things like "my head says no, but my heart says yes." The iPhone makes sense, and has a unique feel, even if it falls short in certain individual categories.
In terms of actual new things, the iPhone has visual voicemail. All of those other "advanced" phones have voicemail that works like a 1970's cassette-tape answering machine.
The iPhone has a proximity sensor to turn off its light and touch surface when it's next to your face on a call. (Perhaps other phones do this. I have not seen or read that any do.) It has accelerometers so it knows what way it's facing (landscape or portrait), which may actually exist in other phones, but is certainly not widespread. The iPhone has a consistent, fingers-only interface with things like pinch and stretch (which are unique).
Just look at how you move through photos or through tabbed web pages: they made it work the same. Other phones don't even have real web browsers, much less tabbed web browsers, much less one where they've rethought how you move between tabs so it's clean and consistent with the rest of the phone.
In the end, I'm glad to hear the naysayers. The more the better -- up to a point -- for my stock investment. Apple stock does so well because so many people underestimate Apple. "Death spiral", "iPod-killer", "iTunes-killer", "nothing new iPhone", "market share too small and can't grow", "no halo effect", etc, etc.
(Not to mention this is iPhone 1.0 and it's competing against Nokia 15.0 (or whatever) and Windows mobile 6.0 (?). Not that much different from the initial iPods, which did not exceed then-current MP3 players in many aspects, but did do it in a more stylish and polished way.)
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Re:You don't get it... (Score:5, Informative)
Agreed, that's a great feature. Unfortunately, for that to be accomodated, you needed the telco to modify the way their voice-mail system works. The fact that Apple has a cult following (and the hype around the iPhone) was want made AT&T change their voice mail system for the iPhone. I can assure you that if $PHONE_MFR had talked to telcos about this prior to Apple, they'd have just said, "But $OTHER_PHONE_MFR doesn't ask for this - why should we go along with you?" Just saying.
My Blackberry Curve does this, and does it quite well.
I've seen them elsewhere, but I do wish that more phones came with them. That's a truly useful feature, but it would be pointless in most phones except touchscreen ones because why would you want to type sideways when your alphabets are facing down, right? Applicability and all that.
Some of those interfaces are nice and very useful. Others? Not so much. Especially Apple's touchscreen keyboard. I just tried out the iPhone at the store before deciding that I liked the new Blackberry better. The biggest reason for choosing so? The keyboard. I could not type a long enough mail without a goodly amount of mistakes. Now, using a stylus could have changed that, but the keys were so small that it was hard for me to type on them anything more than a few words without a mistake. It's quite possible that it's just me, but a lot of people that I've talked to have cited similar problems.
Yes, consistency in Apple UIs is a big plus, I won't even disagree with that. They also find unique ways of applying that to other applications in a very intuitive way.
That is not true. I've seen (and used) several phones with very efficient full-browsers. Now, some of them do not let you have Flash on them, which is a pain, but hey. Secondly, with today's data speeds (and data plans), having the full website be displayed may not necessarily be a good idea, after all.
Well, I think that has more to do with St. Stephen of Jobs than anyone else. To be fair, Wallstreet rarely ever talks of Apple in those terms. That seems rather restricted to the tech industry.
Indeed. On the other hand, something like Nokia N95 [wikipedia.org] does kick the iPhone in its balls - and it is independent of the provider.
I could go on -- but the point is that while the iPhone is
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It's not about features (Score:4, Insightful)
The iPhone isn't about features. Of course, other phones have camera's and music players and whatnot. The iPhone is about getting it right. I have a simple Samsung phone. I picked it because I wanted a phone with a music player and a decent amount of storage. When I got it, I realized that feature listings aren't everything. The interface is impossibly complicated, the music player is enormously whimsical, it's impossible to get it to play a specific playlist, once it's playing you can't turn it off, file transfer between phone and computer works only if you're lucky and, well, the list goes on and on.
That's why the iPhone is different. It not only has the features, but they're designed to be used. They got it right. The iPhone really is beautiful and exceptional, not because of all its features, but because of how they work and how well they work. Most phones are designed to be bought, the iPhone is designed to be used.
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Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Good story (Score:5, Informative)
Bus charters to bring buyers to stores were cancelled.
It costs over Eur 1,600 in contract fees.
From DE press:
"The big run like the startup in the United States, however, didn't show"
"US hysteric, DE deep-relaxed"
"People using software to break the SIM-lock and use cheaper services"
Exchange rates... (Score:3, Interesting)
Canada (Score:4, Interesting)
no more whining (Score:3, Insightful)
- The phone will only work as long as Apple wants it to work
- The Phone will cost a fortune to use outside of the local area
- The phone is programmed to check mail and deliver revenue to your service provider even when it is "off"
- The phone is a closed environment, and will probably require several days with a loaner phone, at additional cost, to repair.
- this phone does not have the advanced features that everyone seems to find so critical in other phones, such as user generated custom ringtones.
I am sure there are others, but that is a good start. If you buy Apple products, like I do, it is better to go in with eyes wide open, rather than whine later. Most of these things are beyond the Apple SOP, which is why the iPhone, to me, is not nearly such a great product, but those who do buy it surely can no longer be surprised.Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
The phone will only work as long as Apple wants it to work
And why wouldn't Apple want it to work ? IMHO it doesn't appear that Apple is deliberately trying to brick phones. Rather that they are on their own path of issuing firmware updates which happen to conflict with what the homebrew community is doing. If you have seen what is going on to get it to work you would understand.
The Phone will cost a fortune to use outside of the local area
As will EVERY phone on a roaming plan. If your sensible you will unlock the phone and use a local SIM card. I'm holidaying in Thailand and paying very, very cheap rates for phone calls.
The phone is programmed to check mail and deliver revenue to your service provider even when it is "off"
T
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Re:no more whining (Score:5, Interesting)
False: There is no coupling between iPhone and iTMS. The option is there but you are in no way obligated to use it. And with respect to iTunes: iPhone Drive
I wasn't talking about the iPhone.
the fact that Airtunes only works with iTunes
False: Airfoil
That's extra software you have to pay for, and it's not made by Apple.
and is only configurable using an annoying program you get with it (no HTML interface)
Debatable: I personally have no problems with Airport Utility for the very few times I need to reconfigure my router.
To each his own, but I find it annoying to have to start a separate program for configuring the Airport thingy. Luckily you're right, It's not often needed.
and that you need Apple's BootCamp to have multiple OS'es on your Intel Mac
False: Parallels, VMWare
That's not the same.
However, I will not buy an iPhone unless I can put third party software on it
Done: AppTapp
Not supported by Apple, not out of the box.
and get one without a SIMlock and without a subscription.
Done: iPhone Dev Wiki (you need AnySim)
Tell me where to get an iPhone without a SIM lock and without a subscription.
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No 3G (Score:4, Interesting)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
That probably has an awful lot to do with it as well. In fact, it's probably the prime concern. But this way, they can say that the iPhone offers better battery life than the Nokia N95 (8 hours vs. 4 hours, evidently), plus it's a hell of a lot prettier.
But I think the response was perhaps somewhat underwhelming in Europe, because people think that if they are going to buy a phone this cool,
Not that great a phone, not that great a contract (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Not that great a phone, not that great a contra (Score:5, Interesting)
You managed the first sentence, now read the rest of the post to understand what he was actually complaining about. Basically:
Regular phone: You pay up fornt OR you get a locked contract.
iPhone: You pay up front AND you get a locked contract.
Now, if the up-front price of the iPhone was lower than other phones, then you could argue that they just use a different payment plan. However, the iPhone is more expensive AND binds you to a less favourable contract. I.e, its already horrific price tag is even worse than it appears.
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already for sale in denmark unlocked (Score:3, Informative)
Basically it says that the phone is now available, unlocked. thanks to parallel imports and indirect use of the french directive.
The price is 5900 DKK, approx ~1150 USD.
Thats the price without a calling plan - look mum, no hands!
You are free to do what the fuck you want.
but then again..
Where's the 3G, and why would I have to criminalize myself
should I like to add my own little helper applications not
provided by apple. This system is way to closed.
So they can have their phone and marketing,
I'll see if they fix the issues with it being
so controlled, and I'll stay with the Nokia N95,
until something better will appear in the market,
still N95 beats Iphone.
Obligitory (Score:5, Interesting)
http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=iphone [thebestpag...iverse.net]
An objective comparison:
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
See, now there's a feature where the iPhone beats the Nokia E70.
*ducks*
$600 again!? (Score:3, Insightful)
I am amazed at prices the expect people in Germany to pay, i mean i payed $299 + tax (i think it was like an additional $17)
when i bought my iPhone in the US (ok so the 8GB was $399) but now they expect people to pay $585!!!
And somehow i know they are not going to reduce the price in two weeks!
Now i know why they call it Rip-Off-Europe, next to a PS3 thats crippled and costs twice as much as in the US/Japan,
this would simply go into my 'like hell i'm paying extra for THAT' list.
But, I'm just glad i bought mine over there, for (at current rates) just 203 Euros.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
The phone itself costs £269, including all taxes.
You have to take out an 18 month contract, which will cost between £35 and £55 per month
The total cost can therefore be £1259, excluding any additional call charges you may rack up (like when you think it's turned off but isn't really http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/09/10/1216224 [slashdot.org]
For the US equivalent, at todays exchange rate is > $2600
iPhone in Nürnberg (Score:3, Informative)
And on another note, in Köln on the day of the launch, they had 800Iphones on stock. After the big lines at midnight went away, they have sold 200 iphones. So there was not the craze as in the usa.
London yesterday (Score:3, Interesting)
UK launch a damp squib (Score:5, Informative)
I bought mine in Southampton, where there's an Apple store. I did go there with the intention of buying one there, but the queue was longer than outside O2 or Carphone Warehouse (the only other two sellers) and the staff had obviously been hyped up to whoop and holler and run along high-fiving the queue, which might herald excitement in the US, but in the conservative UK is distinctly embarrassing and probably put a lot of people off queueing.
I bought mine at an O2 shop and there were more staff (at least 15) than people queueing, even at quarter past six when I turned up (the launch was at 6pm). The staff looked a little embarrassed.
What was most irritating was that I simply wanted to hand over my £270 and take away the damn phone, but while I was waiting I was besieged by O2 staff asking if I was OK, offering me muffins, trying to demo the iPhone, trying to get me to sign up to some expensive insurance deal, trying to sell me accessories, trying to lick my ass... if they had put all these staff behind sales terminals, they would have sold them a damn sight faster and probably sold more of them, as several people got bored and wandered off!
When the Apple shop in Southampton opened for the first time, and when the Nintendo Wii was launched in a variety of local shops, I saw excitement and queueing that deserved this kind of reception. However, it was patently obvious that Apple have vastly overestimated the demand for the iPhone in the UK; I haven't seen the local papers today but I suspect Apple won't be delighted with the coverage (I saw some photographers having a field day making the queue look as small as possible).
As to why, I'm sure everyone knows, but here's a recap as to why it's not the saviour of the UK's mobile industry;
1. We're used to either paying for the phone, or the contract, but not both;
2. We're used to accessing mobile internet on 3G, which was rolled out wider and earlier here than across the USA;
3. There have been several competing devices launched recently, which appeal to a range of demographics; for example, techies will like the N95 while fashion victims will like the Prada wotsit;
4. It's quite chunky as phones go - which might sound pernickerty but the market here is very much geared towards fashionable, neat phones (for example, no manufacturer would dare launch a phone with an aerial here within the last few years as they look so dated, while I hear they're still available in the US).
A final thought on a different note though; I have no doubt that the iPhone will be a success here, it's just Apple misjudged the launch a little. Apple have the marketing power that other manufacturers only dream of, and at the end of the day, the public have little regard for technical features or even cost, it's what they perceive to be fashionable and/or popular that will be a success. And I hope it is; despite it not being perfect, it does a few simple things well, and is a pleasure to use.
And me? I say, roll on the open API
Don't update the iPhone firmware! (Score:3, Informative)
"applenewsisboring"? (Score:5, Informative)
Look, up there at the top -- see the Slashdot logo? Look immediately below that. The leftmost link should be your name (or you need to get an account, you Coward). And just right of that, "Preferences".
Inside Preferences, click on "Homepage", and scroll to "Customize stories on the homepage".
And in there, click the leftmost radio button next to "Apple". Scroll down again, and save your changes.
You can now shut the fuck up and stop trolling the Apple stories, because you won't even see them.
The iPhone *is* the UI (Score:3, Interesting)
But, sadly, the UI is a trade off against everything else. I won't list all the ways in which the iPhone is deficient in the current mobile market - but trading them all off against the UI *and* and £230 price tag is lunacy.
Would you use Vista if it cost £230 more than Ubuntu? It's prettier and easier to use?
No? Didn't think so.
I've no doubt Apple will sell a fair few of the things, and I've no doubt that the promised 3G version will be a spectacular improvement. Similarly, by 2009 I expect all smart phones to be colloquially known as "iPhones" just as all MP3 players are "iPods". But right here, right now, the N95 and any other high cost phone blows the iPhone away in terms of functionality and price.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Also, it doesn't have a choice of carrier, Flash, Javascript, wireless synchronization due to poor Bluetooth usage...
Stuff being common on mobile phones years ago and that many mobile-oriented web sites pretty much assume it can do.
Seriously, I do feel they're being cheated on the feature set. The only thing this one seem to have going for it is three things:
Eh? Who even uses those phones? (Score:3, Insightful)
Treo 3G Blazer and Windows Mobile 3G? I haven't even heard of them, or heard of anybody else use them. Actually I haven't seen anybody use any Treo nor any Windows Mobile device. If you want a true 3G phone then you take one phone from Nokia or Sony-Ericsson.
When talking about how iPhone with EDGE beats down 3G, I won't buy that. When you have good 3G networks that are not congested, as they usually aren't, 3G and especially with HSDPA there is no question which network connection blasts the other. It shou
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Track record means that as a quite happy owner of an HP laptop, I'll probably be slightly more likely to buy from HP next time as well. But that doesn't mean I won't look for reviews of multiple manufacturer's hardware, and definitely doesn't mean I'll buy the first HP laptop I see.
I also generally favor AMD hardware, but bought an Intel laptop because at that time the Intel option was clearly superior.
A true fan, IMO, is somebody that buys from $COMPANY because