Apple's Negotiations and the iPhone in Europe - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Apple's Negotiations and the iPhone in Europe

The Guardian reports on more confirmation that O2 will be the exclusive carrier of the iPhone in the UK. They also claim that T-Mobile for Germany and Orange in France will be announced on Wednesday and Thursday respectively.

Of interest, they describe that Apple pursued a "divide and conquer" strategy in partnering the iPhone in Europe, pitting carriers against each other. In the end, O2 won the deal, but at a high price:

...at the 11th hour O2 snatched the UK deal with an offer that gave such a high proportion of revenues to Apple that none of its competitors could see any way of making any return on the phone, even over three years. They believed that even if it was treated as purely a loss-leading marketing product, a better return could be had by spending the money elsewhere.

Apple is hosting a media event in London at 10am local time on Tuesday September 18th, 2007. While Apple is widely expected to launch the UK iPhone at that time, there are conflicting reports on the details.

ThinkSecret believes the iPhone will ship in the UK during the week of November 12th, and expect another media event around September 24th for France. Meanwhile, Gizmodo expects the UK iPhone to ship by the end of October.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

Apple Wallet

iOS 27 Will Add Two New Apple Wallet Features to Your iPhone

Monday June 1, 2026 12:15 pm PDT by
Apple is set to unveil iOS 27 during its WWDC 2026 keynote on Monday, June 8, and the update will reportedly include two new Apple Wallet features. First, iOS 27 will reportedly let users create their own digital passes by scanning items like movie tickets, concert passes, and gym membership cards. Many apps already offer Apple Wallet passes, but now users will be able to create a custom...
HomePod mini and Apple TV Sage

New Apple TV and HomePod Mini Are 'Nearly Ready' to Launch, New Siri Remote Also Rumored

Sunday May 31, 2026 8:47 am PDT by
New models of the Apple TV 4K and HomePod mini are "nearly ready to go," according to the latest word from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Both devices have been ready "for months," but Apple is holding off on launching them until the more personalized version of Siri is available, he said. "I am told the hardware for the next Apple TV...
Apple Foldable Thumb

First 'Confirmed' iPhone Ultra Color Allegedly Revealed in Leaked Image

Monday June 1, 2026 4:39 am PDT by
Apple is expected to launch its first foldable iPhone later this year. Rumors suggest the "iPhone Ultra" will come in two color options, and a leaker shared an image today that allegedly shows one of them. Posted on Weibo by the Chinese leaker known as Ice Universe, the image purportedly offers a first glimpse of Apple's foldable in white. The device is believed to have entered early mass...