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iPhone Business Model Hits a Snag in France
Serhei writes "It seems like the iPhone might not be released in France by this holiday season, since French requires by law that all cell phones sold there must be obtainable in an unlocked version. Apple will not be able to do so, since it has launched with a 5-year exclusivity agreement with AT&T. That deal will probably require exclusivity worldwide to avoid grey-market imports. (In return for this agreement Apple receives a large share of AT&T's monthly revenues from iPhone subscribers.) If the iPhone falls through in France, the country can join Belgium and a potentially long list of other countries with unlocking laws, whose Apple fans will have to make do with other, less Apple-y phones. Note that there is currently no mention of the iPhone on the Apple France page."
Exclusivity deals with a sub-desirable carrier is working against Apple but "Designed in the USA" is probably hurting them worse in France. Next.
Most of the stuff on
See? We should have let the Germans keep France.
Most of the stuff on
Well, let's just say I was going to buy a Macbook for my next laptop (in a year or so), and it was going to be my first (non-secondhand) Apple purchase, if for nothing else, because it's the only laptop that can claim to run three major operating systems natively. But with all the bad things I am hearing about Apple, esp. with the iPhone and other vendor-locking tactics, I am now not very likely to make that Macbook purchase.
And, oh, I'm going to be telling all my friends about it too.
If i were to meet steve jobs right now i would slap him.
I bet the French even mandate that you use Arabic numerals on all cell phones. ;-)
This issue is a bit more complicated than you think.
I hate French; not the first time they make us look so stupid.
450 million costumers? Man, I knew the EU was into theatre and Hallowe'en is fast approaching, but that seems a little high to me...
Karma: Excellent Birds (mostly as a result of listening to Laurie Anderson)