benny1967 | # 1 | 2008-04-23, 12:04 | Report

After all the discussions about how good the iPhone is compared to the tablets, how much consumers want finger driven UIs and how the success of the iPhone shows this, it might be interesting to read this:

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/to...cle3770932.ece

It says that in 2007, european carriers sold only about 60% of the iPhones they'd expected to sell. Sales go down even more in 2008 because of potential buyers waiting for a 3G version. A similar german language article says carriers need to cut prices now in order to avoid even higher losses.

The bottom line is that whatever we might say about "what consumers want" and what "will sell well" - it all depends on markets, geographic regions etc. The success they had in the US was not repeated in Europe (so far), so only copying their strategy will not be *the* ideal way to go.

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Last edited by benny1967; 2008-04-23 at 12:22.

Jaffa | # 2 | 2008-04-23, 12:23 | Report

All good points. But the article doesn't say that consumers aren't buying the iPhone because of its UI, it says they're too expensive or don't provide the connectivity features wanted in European markets.

And I still see more iPhones on a daily commute than N8x0s :-(

GThreepwood | # 3 | 2008-04-23, 12:48 | Report

What should i do with an iPhone in Austria?
3g connectivity nearly everywhere I am, a motorola v3xx bought for 3€ + data plan 1GB for free(included in my voice plan[about 6€ per month but atm I'm paying nothing])
And Wifi nearly nowhere.
Not the perfect place for an iPhone...

benny1967 | # 4 | 2008-04-23, 12:58 | Report

It says it doesn't sell. And the reason why it sells in the US in the first place is its design and user interface. (It's expensive in the US, too. And it doesn't have many of the features other smartphones have - neither in Europe nor in the US.)

The difference is that consumers in the US seem to buy it because they really like what it offers (a different UI) regardless of what it costs and what it can do technically. If it doesn't sell in Europe, we have to assume that consumers here don't think design/UI is such a big thing. They're not willing to pay more or sacrifice functionality for a UI.

As for my commuter experience:
0 iPhones
1 N800
Not a representative sample (Even though the guy with the N800 had a very interesting software and I wasn't able to figure out what exactly it was. I should have asked him.)

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Last edited by benny1967; 2008-04-23 at 13:05.

ootpek | # 5 | 2008-04-23, 13:02 | Report

On my commuter ride home it's the same train with the same people around all the time. And quite a few people do the same thing as me...watch videos of tv or movies. Most use PSP's actually...with some rare iPhones and a few iTouch'es. I am the only Nokia user of course. We are a rare breed it seems.

My N810 DOES draw comments though. Email notification went off once on the trip and I went to reply and pushed out the keyboard and it made the 2 other guys sitting in my section stop their videos to ask about my toy. They were impressed I could just pause the video and use a keyboard on something so small. Imagine that...a keyboard and multitasking!

Funny though...even the iPhone users are just watching videos even. We all are.

tso | # 6 | 2008-04-23, 13:45 | Report

if they are watching video it may well be a touch they are using.

also, i have a impression that many early adopters got hold of jailbroken iphones from the us.

and the plan that the iphone comes with in the us seems to be as big a draw as the phone iitself. specifially that it comes with unlimited data included, while tether plans seems to be expensive to add on to most plans.

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Last edited by tso; 2008-04-23 at 13:49.

sleepkyng | # 7 | 2008-04-23, 14:03 | Report

well, first off, i think it has mostly to do with 3g and pricing,
but i also think we should look at the sales of itouches because i see those things everywhere here in Paris.

Mara | # 8 | 2008-04-23, 14:07 | Report

I'm sure it has nothing to do with 3g... I also see and use iTouch every day at home: It is the wireless keyboard made by Logitech.

Maybe you mean iPod Touch?

mobiledivide | # 9 | 2008-04-23, 14:37 | Report

Surely its the length of the contracts and pricing of the item. When you can get an N95 8GB for 50 pounds on 12 month contract why would you pay 150 for the iPhone on an 18 month. My buddy in London has a jailbroken unlocked iPhone he bought off ebay instead of signing up for the contract. Apple got greedy with the revenue share thinking the model would work in countries outside the US. They should simply sell unlocked, off contract devices at a semi reasonable price and their sales would sky rocket.

GThreepwood | # 10 | 2008-04-23, 14:48 | Report

I'm not sure about that.
Sure the pricing is a great con. The greater problem I think is that social networking, mobil internet(except with laptops) and little gadgets aren't as important for people in Europe. Of course some people want that but it's a minority. Just my 2 cents