We learn today that Apple has secured a deal with the UK mobile operator, Orange, to supply the iPhone later this year.
It was always clear the iPhone/O2 bubble would burst after a while. It was, after all, excluding a massive proportion of UK mobile users from Apple’s seminal smart phone.
Oddly, this also stifled any attempt Apple may be unsuccessfully concealing for world domination. I was surprised to learn that just 1million people have an iPhone in the UK. I thought it would be a lot more. Indeed it would be a lot more if more than one network were allowed to sell it.
So, great news. Soon, there’ll be more people I can ‘bump’my phone with to share stuff. More people to help me bore everyone else at parties about how it has changed my life. More people with which to share the short-lived joy of iFart.
But how else does this benefit the existing iPhone user? Well, I, for one, have had my 3G for a while now and come end-of-contract-time, I’ll be looking for a better deal. If O2 had continued to be the sole supplier of the iPhone, I’d have been stuck with them and consequently stuck with their somewhat rigid pricing structure. With Orange on board, competition suddenly comes into play, and that is crucial if us consumers are to be treated fairly.
It’ll be interesting to see what Orange do with regards hardware and tariff pricing, although I predict it will be the latter where the real saving are to be made. Let’s see…
