Is Apple putting pressure on operators to cut iPhone prices?
According to reports in a couple of European newspapers, Apple may be applying pressure to mobile carriers, and in particular Orange, to cut the price they're charging for the iPhone handset, in order to make the initial price more attractive.
In the last couple of weeks, O2 and Carphone Warehouse in the UK, and T-Mobile in Germany, have cut the price of the 8GB iPhone, but no such cut has happened in France, or for the 16GB model.
Thrown into the mix is a report by an Italian newspaper suggesting that Telecom Italia will begin selling a subsidised iPhone in Italy.
Personally, I think it's a little rich that Apple is so concerned about the high price of the handset, given that it chose to set the basic price in Europe far higher than in the US (as usual) and it has shown no sign of selling the handset any cheaper on its own site.
This could all be part of the stock clearing exercise. It's not clear whether O2, CW, and T-Mobile cut prices purely of their own volition, or were pressurised by Apple to do so. If the latter, it can't be doing too much good for the relationship between Apple and its partners.
Come on, Apple. If you are really concerned about European consumers, cut the price of the iPhone across the continent to the equivalent US dollar price, or as near as.
(Via iPhone Matters)
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