Mac|Life britain RSS Feed

U.K. Grocery Chain Tesco Bags iPhone

J.R. Bookwalter — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 09:44:53 -0600

Next time U.K. shoppers drop into their local Tesco store for a loaf of bread, they’ll also be able to pick up an iPhone at the same time, courtesy of a new partnership with local carrier O2.

The deal, announced today, will bring Apple’s iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS to more than 100 Tesco Phone Shops by the end of the year. Tesco Mobile is the retailer’s mobile virtual network operator, who will also offer the device online through its Tesco Direct site.

Tesco’s pay-as-you-go service may be branded Tesco Mobile, but it relies on the O2 network, similar to how MVNO Virgin Mobile operates using Sprint’s network here in America. Tesco is the world’s fourth-largest retailer, making the deal Apple’s next step toward even wider distribution in Europe.

It also marks a new advantage for partner O2, who lost their U.K. exclusive on the iPhone recently and now competes for customers with rivals Vodafone and Orange.

T-Mobile UK Allows Users To Upgrade To iPhone

Cory Bohon — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 17:22:44 -0500

If you're an unhappy T-Mobile customer in the UK, they might allow you to upgrade to an iPhone even though they're not an authorized carrier of the phone. According to MacNN, T-Mobile UK started distributing the unlocked iPhone 3Gs in an attempt to stop customers from leaving the company for other carriers.

To take advantage of the deal, you must be a customer paying over £75 a month. Oh, and only 50 T-Mobile agents are authorized to do the deal, and can only offer three units per week. If there is a rush to acquire one of the coveted T-Mobile iPhones, it could end up getting ugly.

It's alleged that T-Mobile isn't advertising the deal because they are acquiring the iPhones from a third-party distributor, and this might upset Apple and could jeopardize alleged upcoming negotiations to carry the iPhone in the UK.

Britain Runs Out of iPhones

Arvind Srinivasan — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:33:00 -0500

Sorry, Britain. Your friendly neighborhood O2 store won’t have any iPhone 3GSs today. Neither will their website. According to a press release, they are all sold out of Apple’s latest and greatest handset, and won’t get more stock until at least the end of the week. Apple has reported production shortages across the board, and many retail stores in the US are facing shortages as well. O2 is the first carrier to report a system wide sellout.

Thus, Apple either faced manufacturing problems or just didn’t anticipate the interest towards the new device. What do you think, O2 customers? Is this a big deal, or a product shortage like that of any other popular gadget? Let us know in the comments.