Hutchison Telecom, which operates the "3"- branded mobile network in Hong Kong, announced Monday that monthly service plans for Apple's iPhone 3G will start at just $24, significantly less than the cheapest plan offered stateside by AT&T.
A recent series of internal memos from AT&T to its Mobility staffers reveal a variety of preparatory measures ahead of next month's iPhone launch, including the deployment of an iPhone 3G unbricking tool, ongoing 3G network optimizations, regional advertising campaigns, and calls for part time crowd control, inventory runners, and floor coordinators.
British carrier O2 plans a prompt morning launch for the iPhone 3G, AppleInsider has learned, and hints that it may unlock the iPhone for use on any carrier for Pay As You Go customers.
Sweden's TeliaSonera said Friday that monthly service plans for Apple's iPhone 3G will start at $50 (299 SEK), while Netcom Norway announced that its own customers will have to pay a minimum of $80 (NOK 399) each month.
Rogers Wireless, Canada's exclusive service provider for Apple's upcoming iPhone 3G handset, announced Friday that monthly service plans for the new touch-screen handset will start at $60 for 150 anytime minutes, 75 outgoing text messages, and 400 megabytes of internet data.
Tucked away in Apple's pre-release version of iTunes 7.7 is word that the iPhone and iPod touch will soon act as remote controls for nearby computers. Also, Apple is now accepting submissions to the App Store.
A flurry of information about Apple's iPhone 3G launches in key parts of the world has surfaced on Thursday, including when Belgium will announce its iPhone release date, pre-registrations and even pre-orders are taking place in multiple countries, and more than one carrier has accidentally slipped rough details of its iPhone service plans.
Steve Jobs announced at WWDC that the new iPhone 3G would launch simultaneously in 22 countries on July 11 and expand to at least 70 countries by the end of 2008. What wasn't revealed was the unit and service pricing details for mobile carriers outside of AT&T in the US. Jobs also didn't brag up the hardball plan deals he forced upon carriers or his efforts to recreate a spectacular launch event internationally.
Checks within Apple's supply chain reveal the iPhone maker to have hiked its iPhone 3G build orders through the end of the year to more than 15 million, according to one Wall Street analyst.
France Telecom's Orange said Thursday it will launch Apple's much anticipated iPhone 3G in France on July 17th with prices starting at 149 euro ($233) for the 8GB model.
Apple's exclusive iPhone carrier in the UK announced Wednesday that its Pay & Go customers can purchase a new iPhone 3G without a monthly contract for just 299 euro, but that data use isn't guaranteed with the plans.
Apple Inc. is distributing to its retail and sales personnel an internal iPhone 3G Frequently Asked Questions document which implies that first-day sales and activation procedures are still being ironed out. It does, however, provide some information on bulk iPhone 3G sales for businesses.
Responding to concerns over the integrity of the iPhone's data reset methods, Apple has taken the extra step and built a more secure data wipe function into the next version of the handset's software, AppleInsider has learned.
If Apple didn't sell another iPhone or an Apple TV for the next two years, it would still recognize well over $292.5 million in revenue each quarter for the next year (Q3, Q4, Q1 & Q2), and roughly $763 million in revenue throughout the second half of fiscal 2009. That's just from the 5.4 million iPhones Apple has already sold as of the end its fiscal second quarter.
The iPhone's sole UK carrier is claimed to be taking some of the pressure off of stores for the iPhone 3G launch by letting users sign up for their contracts ahead of time as well as by introducing the handset early in the morning.
There's a possibility Apple and AT&T may launch the iPhone 3G on the morning of July 11th rather than in the evening. Meanwhile, Austalians woke up this morning to a new iTunes TV service offering. And a more detailed component list from iSuppli's "virtual" iPhone 3G teardown is now available.
With a new price cut for the iPhone that hits the magic $199 mark, Apple is said to be following the same paths taken by the iPod and even the PlayStation 2 that triggered explosive growth and cemented both devices as champions in their fields.
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AppleInsider Staff
Katie Marsal
Aidan Malley
Prince McLean
Kasper Jade
Andy M. Zaky, Bullish Cross, Special to AppleInsider
