Orange UK:
Orange UK and Apple have reached an agreement to bring iPhone 3G and 3GS to Orange UK customers later this year.
Not surprising given the recent rumours, and it looks like they’ll have the 3GS too. No indication of pricing, but hopefully more competition means we’ll start seeing more discounts on iPhones.
Across the pond, the new iPhone 3G S has kept the previous iPhone 3G price points of $199 and $299. The old 3G has been reduced to $99 as a budget option. This is what Apple has traditionally done with new products.
But in the UK, according to new O2 pricing, the iPhone 3G 8GB has remained the same price, while the two new 3G S models are even more expensive. If you want an 18-month contract at £35 per month, it will cost you £184.98 for the 16GB, or a whopping £273.23 for the 32GB, on top of the contract price.
If you want a contract free iPhone 3G S, it’s £440 for the 16GB, and £538 for the 32GB. That’s over double the cost of the equivalent iPod Touch.
I thought we were rid of Rip-off Britain.
To stay inline with the rest of their price-plans, O2 is increasing the allowance of the cheapest £35 per-month tariff to 600 minutes and 500 text messages (up from 200 of each), and cutting the cost of the £55 down to £45 per-month.
They seem very good value now, especially as you get unlimited internet access and free WiFi at The Cloud hotspots. Might even be enough to tempt me away from T-Mobile.
At a special event called “Mum is no longer the word” in their Regent Street store, Apple announced the UK version of the iPhone. It costs £269, exclusive to the O2 network and requires an 18 month contract:
Otherwise, its exactly the same as the US iPhone, which means still no 3G support.
