UK iPhone

Vodafone chief Arun Sarin has complimented the iPhone in a backhand way, calling its lack of 3G support “a concern” that is hampering what is “clearly a good, software-driven device”. The iPhone uses EDGE (a sort of 2.5G technology that is slower than 3G) due to power concerns- Steve Jobs has called 3G technology “immature”, and testing seems to back him up: a 3G iPhone based on current chipsets would be larger, and have a battery life of about half what is currently achieved.

So does this mean Apple will launch a 3G iPhone in the UK, with Vodafone as a partner? Unlikely. I see Sarin’s comments as a negotiating tactic. In the talks which are going on behind the scenes as we speak, the UK networks are trying to get the iPhone without giving too much to Apple (which is demanding a cut of the call revenue). So by trying to devalue the iPhone’s data capabilities, Sarin is hoping to get a better deal for Vodafone, or just maybe cause one of the other networks to think twice about outbidding him.

This entry was posted on Sunday, July 22nd, 2007 at 12:17 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.