O2's sees 8,000 iPhone activations on day one of 5-year UK exclusive
Citing a source "deep within the belly of O2," ArsTechnica reports that the British carrier saw just over 8,000 iPhone activations at the close of business on Friday, Nov. 9th.
According to the source, O2 higher-ups were expecting more like 3,000 activations, so the early activation numbers "came as a pleasant surprise" and run "contrary to many reports this [past] weekend that the launch was a flop in Europe. "
The source also revealed that, like Apple's deal with U.S. carrier AT&T Wireless, O2's exclusive contract to sell and service iPhone in the UK spans 5 years, expiring sometime in late 2012.
During O2's third-quarter conference call on Monday, mobile chief Peter Erskine said his firm, along with retail partner Carphone Warehouse, had sold "tens of thousands" of iPhones since Friday.
âIt has been the fastest-selling device we have ever seen,â he said.
Erskine added that two thirds of customers buying the Apple handset were new customers to O2, though he refused to go into detail about which networks those customers were coming from.
27 Comments
I went from Vodagroan, who promtly tried to tell me that the phone was a piece of poo, and constantly pointing out that the battery is non-user changable. I told them, neither is the iPods, but I've changed that myself. I had to hang up on the guy on the end of the phone because he wouldn't shut up. After that, I don't plan to return to Vodafone for a new contract in the future. That's two down after T-Mobile accused me of lying after a dispute over cancelling my TV package after the free trial ended.
I went from Vodagroan, who promtly tried to tell me that the phone was a piece of poo, and constantly pointing out that the battery is non-user changable. I told them, neither is the iPods, but I've changed that myself. I had to hang up on the guy on the end of the phone because he wouldn't shut up. After that, I don't plan to return to Vodafone for a new contract in the future. That's two down after T-Mobile accused me of lying after a dispute over cancelling my TV package after the free trial ended.
And the truth of the matter is, in my first iPod, I had to change the battery, but it's new batter is still good after a few years. In my second iPod (4th Gen, Color) I'm still going strong on the originalbattery.
The odds of the battery needing to be replaced in under two or three years is pretty slim. And the people whose batteries are most likely to die from use are the ones likely to buy a new phone. Yes you may get some random failures not due to usage/chaging habits, but that should be a very low number in the first 2 or 3 years.
User-replaceable battery is the least of your problems
To paraphrase Sammy Davis on the old "Laugh-In" show . . .
"The iPhone's in session, the iPhone's in session; now here come da FUD, now here come da FUD!"
To paraphrase Sammy Davis on the old "Laugh-In" show . . .
"The iPhone's in session, the iPhone's in session; now here come da FUD, now here come da FUD!"
nice reference. you must have remembered to take your ginkgo today