Live from Apple's "Mum is no longer the word" event in London
9:17AM BST - We're, ahem, queuing alongside a few dozen other journos outside the Apple Store Regent, iPod touch ads in the window and all. And guess who just turned up...
The iPhone guy! You know, the iPhone project manager dude who gave all the online tutorials. What's his name again? Bob!
9:23 - Strange packages keep entering the store. We wonder what's inside. Click on for continued live coverage!
Steve: "The 3G chipsets are real power hogs. Handset battery life cuts power to 2-3 hours." Yeah yeah, we've heard it before. "Our phone has a talk time of 8 hours and that's really important when you want to use your phone for internet and music. 3G needs to get back up to 5+ hours, something we think well see later next year. ... WiFi is way faster than any 3G network. Energy efficient EDGE with better, faster WiFi. That's why we chose it."
10:19 - Q: 7,000 hotspots in the UK... but are they free?
Matthew: "Cloud is the WiFi provider, and yes, it's free." Steve goes on to again tout the advantages of WiFi. Matthew nodding head vigorously, "It's a lot faster."
10:21 - Q: Is the same deal with Starbucks coming here? [Here being the UK, obviously.]
Steve: "You'll have to ask Starbucks about that. They love the UK." Smiles.
Q: What about iTunes activation?
Steve: "Yes, iTunes will work in the UK like it does in the US, allowing you to select your plan and then activate your phone. Of course, it also allows you to update your phone."
Steve: "That's the iTunes WiFi Music Store, coming this month to the UK."
Matthew: "18 months contract. There is a limit: 1,400 internet pages per day would break the deal as part of fair usage agreement." Wait, what?
Q: What's the revenue sharing from data and device sales between Apple and O2?
Steve: "Unfortunately, we're not going to go into that, but good question!" Laughter. "...Sometimes you get what you pay for."
10:26 - Q: Is unlocking a concern?
Steve: "It's a constant cat and mouse game -- we have the same thing with the iPod with music." Steve looks at Matthew, "Are we the cat or mouse?" 'We have to stay one step ahead of them. It's our job to keep them from breaking in."
Q: To Matthew, what do you have to do to get your network ready for the iPhone?
"We're investing in EDGE. As many people have noticed, hey I have EDGE! By launch we'll be north of 30% and build from there." Only 30% folks. It's important to remember that many parts of Europe doesn't use EDGE, they've often moved on to UMTS (i.e. 3G)!
10:30 - Q: Were you aware that the iPod touch was coming out when you were negotiating the iPhone deal?
Matthew: "One of the great things about working with Apple is they are always moving forward." Yes, and one of the great things about O2 is how it dodges questions.
Steve: "Well, one's a phone, and one's not. The iPod touch is training wheels for the iPhone." Ha! Oh boy, that's rich.
Q: How many [iPhones] do you hope to ship before Christmas?
Matthew: "80% of high end customers from other networks would be willing to switch carriers based on their data." But he won't discuss specific sales numbers.
10:32 - Q: What are your plans for iPhone launch in Europe, and your reaction to upsetting other carriers who feel played-off in terms of not getting this deal?
Steve: "We said we'd be in a few countries in Europe and we still plan to do that. As to the carriers, we took the approach to see who would be the best fit -- it's like going out on a few dates before getting married. So yeah, we have a few upset girlfriends out there." Laughter.
10:35 - Q: Can you be more specific about other European countries? [You know you're talking to Steve "Stonewall" Jobs, right?]
Steve: "We're here to talk about O2 UK, and that's all we're willing to talk about today."
Q: Why not one single European carrier if O2 is such a good fit?
Steve: "We were faced with lots of decisions to make and we think we've made the right decisions. We certainly have with O2."
10:37 - Q: Have you thought about opening the iPhone to 3rd parties?
Steve: "Yes, we've already done that with Web 2.0. We're looking at more intimate apps. But people hold their phones to a higher standard than their PC. The more open you are, the less predictable." Again, same ol' same ol'.
10:37 - Q: £900 for 18 months on up to £1260. Any assurance you won't slash the price by 1/3rd? (Laughter.)
Steve: "I don't think that's going to happen. But this is technology so you never know. We have no plans to change the pricing, but we guarantee it will change in the future just like all technology products. We're working on the next iPhone and the next one after that. That's what our customers expect."
Q: Do you feel a 2 megapixel would be a concern to European customers?
Steve: "No, the camera is great. More megapixels don't make a better camera, the iPhone is actually a great camera especially, with great lighting." Ok, sure, but isn't every camera a great camera if the subject is well lit?
Matthew: "On 1st October we'll be rolling those out for all out customers."
Steve: "It's the future."
And that's that! Steve and Mathew are all finished up here. Stay tuned for additional coverage of the O2 iPhone!
Reader Comments (Page 3 of 6)
Patrick @ Sep 18th 2007 5:19AM
fuck you
MS @ Sep 18th 2007 5:11AM
O2 is Britain's most popular network? yes... right.
I guess it depends how you measure popularity...
Matt Jones @ Sep 18th 2007 5:11AM
Awesome, they chose the provider with some fo the worst talk plans and the crappiest, or rather non-existant data package. Even if they stick 3G in it it will be pointless because 02 will bend you over and use you every month for data useage. way to go.
Gwydion @ Sep 18th 2007 5:20AM
O2 is part of Spanish Telefonica, what can anyone expect?
I'm Spanish, so I know how is it
Rich UK @ Sep 18th 2007 5:12AM
Um... Why are they not talking about the 16GB version??!
Steve @ Sep 18th 2007 5:12AM
I hope they don't fob us off with the US version.
Gary @ Sep 18th 2007 5:13AM
"We picked the best one, the most popular carrier, it's O2" LOL
So far, ho-hum. 3G anyone? Looking doubtful at that price.
Bazza @ Sep 18th 2007 5:14AM
What? No foreplay?? I guess we brits dont deserve to be eased in slowly. Damn el-jobso, you are a rough lover.
Jon @ Sep 18th 2007 5:14AM
are you kidding? at current exchange rates, we are paying a £110 premium for the same frikking phone?!! you must be kidding me. for that I expect 3G AND 16GB and no less.
Febry @ Sep 18th 2007 5:14AM
Well we just got owned:(
danny @ Sep 18th 2007 5:31AM
PLEASE ASK THEM:
What about other countries in Europe?
Tom @ Sep 18th 2007 5:14AM
UK Apple store just gone down :D
anarchron @ Sep 18th 2007 5:15AM
hahaha the brits are getting ripped off.
GBP269 = USD536
536-399 = 137 difference in profit
I bet VAT doesn't even cost that much.
iwantone @ Sep 18th 2007 5:20AM
VAT accounts for £35/$70 of it, the rest will be shipping etc. Not really that bad.
DaveTehWave @ Sep 18th 2007 5:16AM
No 3G No Care
Wenslauw @ Sep 18th 2007 5:16AM
Why don't we stop hyping Apple. It's a company that makes ok looking products, but the quality is just as crap as with all the other companies.
Hon Weng Chong @ Sep 18th 2007 5:18AM
Exactly. The iPhone is all hype, little technology.
The very fact that it lacks 3G is laughable.
Steve @ Sep 18th 2007 5:17AM
Bah! Looks like Nokia will get my business!
Kosso @ Sep 18th 2007 5:17AM
And how much will it be?
O2 really have taken it up the backside for this deal.
T-Mobile should have got it. Orange would have got it if they were as good as they used to be.
I'm going to the USA and buying one cheaper then unlocking it.
Kosso @ Sep 18th 2007 5:17AM
Someone should ask Steve Jobs why they don't seem to be able to do simple currency conversions?
For example, the smaller iPod Touch in the UK is still more expensive than the larger iPod Touch in the USA, if you do the pound/dollar conversion.
I used to run out and buy new phones which cost twice as much as this puppy, but for some reason I can't bring myself to run for these. At least not until a few more revs.
Sticking with my N95 for now with it far superior cameras (with Settings!! yes folks, those iPhones have no camera settings) - also I can blog images, uadio and RECORED video on my Nokia. You can't on the iPhone.
Oh, but you can waste your life watching lipsyncing on YouTube. woo.
I think I'll leave that crippled Safari browser for now too.
nitro @ Sep 18th 2007 10:24AM
you're forgetting we pay a lot more VAT than the US
Kosso @ Sep 18th 2007 10:32AM
true. you have State taxes too. But it's still FAR cheaper in the USA than the UK ;)
Mitchell Oke @ Sep 18th 2007 5:18AM
No 3G, no sale.
I can't believe they are releasing it without 3G.
chris @ Sep 18th 2007 5:19AM
no 3G oh well, i wait and i wait, maybe in 2008 when it comes to us in Aus
DC @ Sep 18th 2007 5:19AM
Minimum of £35 a month AND £269 bye bye apple and O2.
Hon Weng Chong @ Sep 18th 2007 5:21AM
I don't get why it's so hard to get a low powered 3G HSDPA radio into the iPhone. If Nokia can do it, then why can't Apple? Looks like the iPhone is all about looks and low functionality.
Pretty much the blond bimbo of gadgets.
jonatron @ Sep 18th 2007 7:03AM
Yeah and the batter lasts about a day lol!
MaD_C @ Sep 18th 2007 5:21AM
wait, what no 3g? and o2 damn that sucks, and a stupidly high price tag, when was the last decent phone that was on that price bracket including tariff costs as well???
Gorjan @ Sep 18th 2007 5:21AM
3G a powerhog? What kind of shitty chipsets were they looking at? My Nokia N73 runs on 3 here in Denmark and I have a running time of 4 days.
Matt Jones @ Sep 18th 2007 5:22AM
PMSL! No 3G? hahahahah! Still, the fanboiyz will buy it and people who don't know any better - I'll stick with buying a TyTn II when they come out, the iBoiyz can stick with their style over substance.
Matt Jones @ Sep 18th 2007 5:22AM
VAT is 17.5% anachron.
As for this announcement, basically anyoen who buys one of these pretty but worthless toys is a moron. The only thing it's good for is the phone function and the media. As a smartphone replacement it's a big steaming pile. No 3G?! Seriously?! Ah well it'll be funny watching the fanboiyz wandering around thinking they have something fantastic wwith their 'if Apple don't offer it, I can't possibky want it' attitudes while use a functional mobile device!
aiphone @ Sep 18th 2007 5:23AM
Apple US store still up - only UK store down - so probably not any other announcements?
Chirag @ Sep 18th 2007 5:23AM
You know the saddest thing, this product will still sell due to the amount of people that are blind as to how much they are getting ripped off! i like the products apple makes but no way am i spending over the odds on something just because i live in the UK!
Andy W @ Sep 18th 2007 5:24AM
VAT is 17.5%, so a true conversion is £229 = $457, a premium of $58 (£30). Not as bad as Adobe, nor as bad as I was expecting.
Rich UK @ Sep 18th 2007 5:24AM
What kind of answer is "You'll have to ask Starbucks about that. They love the UK."?
MacPetrus @ Sep 18th 2007 5:27AM
well...
starbucks wifi hotspots are runned by t-mobile so i can see it happening...
Rich UK @ Sep 18th 2007 5:28AM
AH of course I forgot about that... A straight answer would be nice
theCardinal @ Sep 18th 2007 5:24AM
If it were possible to sign up on a non-data plan, I consider it. But I certainly have no interest in paying £35 for a data plan I'm realistically never going to use. EDGE is just too slow. I'd rather stick to the WiFi and not pay for data.
Kenn Marks @ Sep 18th 2007 8:23AM
Edge (2.5G) is not that bad depending on the number of bars - 3 or better is a very acceptable download rate something like ISDN 128Kbs definitely better than dial up.
Ben Holmes @ Sep 18th 2007 5:24AM
UK Store is down!
UK iPhones or preorders?
Kosso @ Sep 18th 2007 5:25AM
Free Wifi access via Cloud?
*sniff?*sniff* bullshi**!!!
not a chance.
Gary @ Sep 18th 2007 5:26AM
It's the UK, we always get owned on price. Only with the iPhone, we can't import the thing.
As for the EDGE support/battery life issue: Steve's telling us that the combo of 3G chipset *and fat touch screen* is what chews through battery life. Other 3G handsets do fine over here.
Wait til the mainstream press find out it doesn't do picture messages.
mvn @ Sep 18th 2007 5:26AM
Cost of ownership almost 1K pounds (or 2016 dollars) for a 2.5G phone with limited battery life! (assume usual O2 trick of min 18 months contract, 35 a month plus 269 for the phone)....plus the thought of a 3G version early next year while you wait another 12 months before allowed an upgrade! Must have mis-read the European market....Nokia must be pleased, N95 is a vastly superior device which might not look as good but works at a vastly lower price!
Ant @ Sep 18th 2007 5:27AM
Is it just me or is the whole iPhone thing getting a bit of a bore. Just another excuse for a network to rip us all off, again. We actually take these monthly payments like they're normal (£35 pounds a month is criminal for 3G let alone 2.5G speeds) and what do we get for our money??? some little bits of data floating through the air, usually slowly.
So can I have the iPhone without unlimited data and just us free WiFi, then have a PayAsYouGo and spend £10-£15 pounds a month like I do now. No… cus the iPhone has a mic and voice over the Internet is free.
Steve and Apple should fix the bloody SD storage issue before they start selling these media devices. People are actually making excesses for the memory in these things and saying things like “we need to use the advanced synchronization of iTunes to sort out what we really want” no, sorry, what we really want is to not have to think about what we might want and just put the lot on there.
Thomas @ Sep 18th 2007 5:32AM
Exactly, until I get get my entire multi-hundred GB media collection on it I'm not interested.
Rich UK @ Sep 18th 2007 5:35AM
Steve and Apple should fix the bloody SD storage issue before they start selling these media devices.
How would adding SD Storage help! If you want a slim energy efficient phone 16GB is the limits at the moment.. just have to wait for flash storage to creep up to a more useful amount. If you want big amount of space like the classic (160GB) you have to go for hard disk and sacrifice battery life and the slim design.. you can't (at the moment) have your cake and eat it
Ant @ Sep 18th 2007 5:43AM
If I could upgrade with SD, like most other phones and some forward thinking media players, at least they are giving me the option to add memory without me buying a new device every 12 months. I agree HD is not the way to go, but it's about not giving people the choice to upgrad if the tek is there.
Dom Ramsey @ Sep 18th 2007 5:27AM
How stupid. I could fly to the US, buy and iPhone and unlock it myself for the price they're charging.
Thomas @ Sep 18th 2007 5:31AM
Go on then.
Steve @ Sep 18th 2007 5:28AM
Can't see people rushing out for to buy this. Will the iPhone flop in the UK and Europe?