As much as we love to make fun of the French, they really seem to know what they’re doing. They’re food is amazing (seriously, has any seen Ratatouille?), their fashion is cutting-edge, and their taste is impeccable – the Frenchies apparently have the same taste in handsets that sparked feverish iPhone sales in the States. In stark contrast to the iPhone’s disappointing sales on UK wireless network O2, France’s Orange has announced that they’ve sold 30,000 iPhones in the first five days since the handset’s launch last week. Similarly, T-Mobile Germany reportedly pushed 10,000 iPhones on its launch-day sales.
About 8,500 iPhones have apparently been sold on “Orange for iPhone” wireless contracts – at a €399 ($585) price point (the same price that T-mobile Germany is charging for their locked, on-contract iPhone). However, Orange has sold somewhere around 1,500 unlocked iPhones – and at just €749 without contract (which includes a €100 unlocking fee), that sales figure makes plenty of sense. Still, the launch-week sales are nothing compared to US-sales – Apple and AT&T moved 270,000 iPhones in the first weekend, nay 1.5 days, after the iPhone’s launch.
Orange has reached, if not passed, O2’s iPhone sales figures in the first few days of sales. We can only assume that the French are more willing to pony up the dough to get the latest and greatest handset than are those reluctant Brits. Both France and Britain have socialized healthcare systems, so you would think they’d be able to come up with the extra cash to grab an iPhone. So, why are Brits so cheap?
[Via: InfoWorld]