(original article posted on 18th September, 2007)

Next stop on the iPhone's world tour will be in Britain on November 9th, and its telephony services proudly hosted by local operator O2.

The CEOs of both Apple and O2, Steve Jobs and Matthew Key, were present at the Regent Street Apple Store this morning where they made the announcement.

Pricing and availability, in a nutshell (quoting from the official press release):

"iPhone is scheduled to go on sale on November 9th and will be sold exclusively in the UK through Apple’s retail and online stores, O2 and The Carphone Warehouse’s retail and online stores. iPhone will be available in an 8GB model for £269 (inc VAT) and will work with either a PC or Mac. Three new great value iPhone tariffs will be available from O2 starting at £35, which all include unlimited anytime, anywhere mobile data usage and, in a market first, free unlimited use of the UK’s largest single public Wi-Fi network, covering over 7,500 cafes, restaurants, airport lounges, pubs and other locations across the UK."

... and, as expected:

"iPhone activation will require an Internet connection; an iTunes Store account or a major credit card; the latest version of iTunes..."

Update:
Looks like Steve has crossed the Channel, and over to Germany, to do the very same act with T-Mobile International CEO, Hamid Akhavan, on the very next day! Germans can look forward to the same iPhone model that the Brits will get, as well as an identical release date of November 9th. Sadly, no 3G model as many had hoped for (thanks partly to rumours) - but users will have full EDGE data connectivity, as T-Mobile is the only operator having adapted the technology fully on their GSM-based network.

And, in final:

"iPhone is scheduled to go on sale on November 9 and will be sold in Germany through Telekom Shops of Deutsche Telekom and the T-Mobile web shop. iPhone requires a new 2-year T-Mobile tariff and will be available in an 8GB model for €399 including V.A.T. and will work with either a PC or Mac."

Resources: Apple UK - iPhone home page | O2 tariffs for iPhone chart | Apple Germany - iPhone home page

It looks as though the iPhone unlocking saga is finally coming to a close, with the release of a free, open source, software unlock solution by the iPhone Dev Team.

Appropriately named as "anySIM", it is an iPhone-native GUI app that removes the AT&T sim lock from the smartphone device. While the installation of the app, onto the iPhone, may require going through some procedures (this is dependent on what's already been done on the device, such as jailbreaking and SSH access), the actual unlocking process will only require a simple brush of the on-screen slide bar, and make agreement to a short list of terms (which, virtually everyone, would in such a case!)

At the time of writing, the most current version of anySIM was v1.0.1, being a minor update alleviating a timing issue that was present in the initial version.

We are also aware of other software-based unlocking solutions available, with some of these charging an arm and a leg a hefty premium before the unlock package is sent out to its customer. Granted that these parties are wanting to gain a return-on-investment on the time and effort spent on developing the unlock - but it seems that they might have gone a bit overboard with their pricing structures (plus, the logistical process of obtaining the unlock seemed rather tedious).

If you're a non-AT&T user, and have found the anySIM solution useful in getting your iPhone to work, then maybe a small donation to the iPhone Dev Team for their efforts would be the way to go. These guys have certainly done a fantastic job in offering not just a software unlock solution alone, but also others that go toward making this device SO much more interesting to use!

Resources: The iPhone Dev Wiki

The European market has always been Apple's next move for the iPhone after the US. Therefore, it is not at all surprising to see Euro operators warming up to the Cupertino-based computer maker for the sole purpose of gaining its sale exclusivity.

The Financial Times has reported the signing of three operators by Apple - T-Mobile of Germany, Orange of France, and O2 in the UK. Apparently, part of the deal is for Apple to take a cut of "10 per cent of the revenues made from calls and data transfers by customers over iPhones" - sweet huh?

In the mobile handset space, it is rare to see how a handset maker is able to woo operators into revenue sharing of such fashion. But because it's the iPhone, and the fact that it's "Designed by Apple in California", what this particular device can bring to these operators won't simply be increased patronage and revenue - but also a significant boost in the mobile operator's image.

And, most importantly:

Apple has also lured the mobile operators with the prospect of a financially risk-free business, as it will not allow the now common subsidies on the sale of handsets. Most mobile phones are sold by operators to subscribers at a highly subsidised rate.

Yes, it does seem the ball is in the other court now...

An official announcement of the partnerships is expected to come at the IFA consumer electronics trade fair in Berlin at the end of August.