Orange aims to cut prices?
April 20th 2008
In the latest sign that iPhone sales in Europe are coming in low, Bloomberg reports that Apple and Orange are rumored to be renegotiating pricing for the handset.
Orange executives met Apple's Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook in Cupertino, California this week to discuss lowering the prices of iPhones in France ... Orange is considering a subsidy for iPhones to bolster sales as happened in Germany, it added. When contacted, Orange denied the possibility of applying subsidies to iPhones...
Of course, should Orange adopt a subsidized plan for the iPhone, it will find itself in good company. O2 in the UK and T-Mobile Germany have already adopted tempting packages (£169 + £35 per month, €99 + €29 per month, respectively) for the 8GB model, which has sold poorly in those counties.
There's been no word on the terms or pricing for an Apple / Orange subsidized iPhone package.
Editor's note: I doubt Apple would ever consider it, but perhaps they should gather up any unsold European iPhones, unlock them and sell them in China, Russia, etc. There's no reason Apple couldn't command the same $700 gray marketers are getting...
What's your take?
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