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iPhone making UK, Germany debut

Apple Inc's popular iPhone goes on sale in Germany and Britain today, making its European debut four months after its launch in the US.

"We assume that the device will find a very good reception on the market," said Rene Bresgen, spokesman for Deutsche Telekom AG's T-Mobile, the exclusive carrier for the iPhone in Germany.

In Britain, mobile operator O2 is the designated carrier.

The iPhone, a combined cellphone-iPod media player that also can wirelessly access the Internet, has met with an enthusiastic reception in the US, with more than 1.4 million sold since it debuted on June 29. Service in the US is exclusively through AT&T Inc.

higher price

British consumers will pay ?269 (US$566) for the 8-gigabyte model -- or about US$67 more than what Apple charges in the US. In Germany the phone will cost 399 euros (US$588). Both European price tags include value-added tax.

Deutsche Telekom chief executive Rene Obermann told CNBC Europe said the pre-registration demand for the phone in Germany was big.

"We're not giving out precise forecasts, but registrations on our Web site lead me to believe [the Christmas season] will be a strong sales period," he told the network.

"The real question for me is whether we have enough devices and can meet customer demand," he said.

In Great Britain, Apple, O2 and Carphone Warehouse stores are hiring extra staff to handle the hoped-for onslaught of iPhone fanatics, but analysts say the device is unlikely to draw the same kind of consumer frenzy as in the US.

Apple has cut the price of the 8-gigabyte iPhone in the US from US$599 to US$399 and discontinued the US$499 4-gigabyte version.

France Telecom will sell the iPhone in France through its wireless arm, Orange, beginning on Nov. 29.
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