When Apple
The outrage may not be quite the same in Germany, where exclusive local carrier Deutsche Telekom
The new price is a marked departure from the $624 that the eight-gigabyte version used to cost, and the "cheap phone, pricey contract" offering more closely resembles sales practices in the U.S., with carriers such as Sprint Nextel
Seeing the iPhone discounted significantly at this point is not a big surprise, as many industry watchers expect an updated, third-generation (3G) iPhone to launch soon. Many consumers in Europe have balked at buying the current version, especially considering that a Nokia
While some have speculated that the price cut is intended primarily to boost sales, I don't buy it. True, Apple wants to sell 10 million iPhones by year's end. To reach this goal Steve Jobs has been courting carriers in Japan, China, and, most recently, America Movil's
But while I'm sure Germans with the more American "pay-for-it-later" attitude will pick up the iPhone with its new pricey string attached, it also makes sense that T-Mobile would want to clear inventory in preparation for a new generation of iPhones. Of course, it's all speculation at this point, but Apple has been pretty deft at marketing the iPhone to maximize sales so far, and I expect more of the same going forward.
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