The iPhone Comes To The UK
Now that Apple have set a launch date for the iPhone in the UK, it’s got me thinking whether it would be worth purchasing one myself. When the iPhone was first announced I was incredibly excited to own one of these things. It was exactly what I wanted, not only could I ditch the useless phone I had then but to have a new, breakthrough, touch-screen iPod… that’s cool.
Really, I couldn’t care less about the phone part of it (despite the wow factor), I just wanted a new iPod since I’ve only ever owned a mini and a nano. My excitement dwindled after months going by and no word on the official release date for the iPhone in the UK, that and the fact no carrier had been chosen. Then the iPod touch was released; the iPhone without the phone. This sounded amazing at first — the features of an iPhone just minus the phone and the monthly cost.
Not… quite. The iPod touch is a crippled iPhone. The iPhone’s smaller, younger, dumber brother. It lacks key features for many of the applications and, despite an earlier released image of the iPod touch, it lacks Bluetooth. Still, I had to order one as I couldn’t wait to play around with the touch screen, my first iPod video and the cool web-browser for a mobile device.
Two days ago Apple revealed the plans for the iPhone UK launch. November 9th, with O2 as the carrier. It will come in an 8Gb model only, for £269.
The tariffs for the UK version look as follows:
My excitement, however, was not re-kindled. I’m currently in an 18-month contract with O2 and unfortunately to buy an iPhone you have to start a new contract.
iPhone requires a new 18-month contract with O2. Existing O2 customers will have the option of keeping their existing phone number and upgrading their account to work with iPhone — Apple Chooses O2 as Exclusive Carrier for iPhone in UK, Apple Press Release
While it does say that existing customers can upgrade, I am to assume that’s existing customers who aren’t bound to a contract. I don’t know what this means for me as an existing customer whose contract isn’t up yet, however I assume I’ll have to wait until January when mine is up just to purchase the iPhone.
Also my 16Gb iPod touch should be coming just a month before the iPhone release, with an estimated delivery of October 5th. Is it really worth buying one, when you have the other? Is the iPhone that much of an upgrade? Could it even possibly be worth waiting for the second generation iPhone?
