According to the French newspaper Les Echos, two
Orange officials will discuss with Apple at the company’s
headquarters the possibility to adopt a subsidised pricing model for iPhone. Les
Echos noted that the iPhone failed to meet the expectations of the European
mobile operators in terms of sales.
The newspaper quotes some sales figures. According to their sources, Orange has sold only 100,000 units since the November
launch, while at the end of January T-Mobile sold 70,000 iPhones in Germany. In UK, Telefonica’s
O2 managed to sell 200,000 units.
According to the deal signed by Apple and Orange for the French market, France Telecom’s
mobile operator sells the iPhone for 399 euros, with Apple receiving a share of
revenues. In order to comply with the French law, the company offers the
unlocked iPhone for 649 euros or with other subscription plans for 549 euros.
Earlier this month, T-Mobile and O2 announced important
price cuts for the iPhone. For example, the German company announced that the
8GB version of iPhone will be sold for 99 euros as a part of a promotion that
runs from April 7 to April 30. O2 also dropped the price of the 8 GB version
from £269 to £169.
“Les Echos” said that Orange
could consider the subsidised price, but only if Apple will agree to lower its
share of revenues.
However, the officials of the France Telecom declined to
comment on the report and they denied any changes to their business model.
Some analysts believe that the price cuts in Europe could be a signal that Apple will introduce a new
version of its iPhone, the 3G iPhone, in June at the Apple’s WWDC.
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