iPhone sales 5% below expectations in the UK

I guess what I predicted in earlier posts is true – the iPhone really isn’t doing well in the UK. According to the Financial Times, UK sales of the iPhone weren’t quite up to par, selling 190,000 phones against a target of 200,000 phones. Many analysts predicted the sales to be more than double of that – in the range of 350,000 and 400,000. Many (including me) cite the high price of the phone, saying the average phone is free and the average plan is under £30. On top of the minimum £30 a month fee for 18 months, you have to pay £269 for the phone. This totals to £899 over 18 months – on the lowest price plan. In U.S. Dollars thats $529 for the phone and $98/month for the plan.

Maybe US iPhone owners should consider themselves lucky and stop complaining about their price plans – because if you buy one in the UK – it’s almost double the price. We are also used to better equipped phones than the iPhone, at cheaper prices. For example, most phones have a minimum of 2 megapixel cameras, 3G technology and video cameras – these kind of phones would be free on a contract plan of about £20/month. The iPhone is a terrible deal compared to other phones. And I think that is why it’s failing. Apple needs to lower the price, so that UK customers will actually consider buying it.

Via [Gizmodo]