Yesterday evening Apple’s iPhone officially debuted in France. Orange, the mobile operator of France Telecom, chose as the location of the launch event its new store from the parisian Champs-Elysee.

The French media reported that close to 2,000 people attended the launch, eagerly awaiting to grab their beloved device. According to AFP, the first French customer was Simon Treille, a 25-year old man, who said “je suis ravi, il est magnifique", (“I’m delighted, the phone is fantastic”).

The Orange store remained open until 2:30 in the morning and each client received an 8-minute introduction to iPhone from an Orange employee.

Orange, which is the exclusive distributor of iPhone in France, is selling the device for 399 euros with a two-year subscription plan. The prices of subscription plans vary from 49 euros per month to 119 euros per month.

In order to comply with the French law, Orange offers the unlocked iPhone for 649 euros or with other subscription plan for 549 euros.

Orange hopes to sell 100,000 iPhones by the end of the year and 400,000 to 500,000 units during 2008.

Didier Lombard, France Telecom CEO, has said he hopes that the introduction of iPhone, with its exceptional design and ergonomics, will also encourage French users to use the mobile Internet.

All the subscription plans offered by Orange for iPhone include unlimited Internet access.