According to UK tabloid The Mail on Sunday Apple has advised retailers in the UK not to report sales figures for the iPhone due to a poor showing over the Christmas period.
This year showed an increase in the number of mobile phones sold, but each unit was individually cheaper than in previous years showing that customers are looking toward the simpler end of the market for their communication needs. A combination of the high cost of the mandatory line rental required for iPhone ownership along with a top-end price for the phone - especially when UK consumers are used to getting their contract mobiles for free - seems to have put people off purchasing.
An unnamed industry source was quoted by the Mail as saying "The iPhone has not been a huge product for either O2 or Carphone [Warehouse]. Particularly in the current market, no one wants to buy an expensive phone with a very expensive 18-month contract."
Even the staff are ambivalent about the iPhone, with one researcher for the paper being steered away from the iPhone in a London branch of Carphone Warehouse and being told to buy a Samsung unit as it was "better" and "free with the contract."
There's no denying that the iPhone is selling well in the US, but could it be that the high price, long contract, and lack of 3G connectivity don't cross the pond all that well? Have you splashed out on the iPhone? Let us know your opinions over in the forums.
This year showed an increase in the number of mobile phones sold, but each unit was individually cheaper than in previous years showing that customers are looking toward the simpler end of the market for their communication needs. A combination of the high cost of the mandatory line rental required for iPhone ownership along with a top-end price for the phone - especially when UK consumers are used to getting their contract mobiles for free - seems to have put people off purchasing.
An unnamed industry source was quoted by the Mail as saying "The iPhone has not been a huge product for either O2 or Carphone [Warehouse]. Particularly in the current market, no one wants to buy an expensive phone with a very expensive 18-month contract."
Even the staff are ambivalent about the iPhone, with one researcher for the paper being steered away from the iPhone in a London branch of Carphone Warehouse and being told to buy a Samsung unit as it was "better" and "free with the contract."
There's no denying that the iPhone is selling well in the US, but could it be that the high price, long contract, and lack of 3G connectivity don't cross the pond all that well? Have you splashed out on the iPhone? Let us know your opinions over in the forums.
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