App-y Christmas as Tesco Offers iPhone in UK

Tesco announced it will sell the iPhone in UK stores in time for Christmas.

Tesco has become the latest company to offer Apple’s iPhone in the UK as it prepares to jump on the Christmas bandwagon and provide one of the most hotly coveted presents for tech-loving customers.

Sales of iPhones across Europe have rocketed since Apple opened up the market, relinquishing exclusivity deals with network providers and allowing multiple mobile companies to create tariffs for the ultimate smartphone.

In France, Apple allowed three carriers to sell the iPhone in the third quarter which has seen market share increase to 32 per cent, up from 21 per cent last quarter. Across Europe, iPhone sales have nearly doubled as other countries have followed suit and offered the phone from multiple providers.

In the UK, O2 lost exclusivity to sell iPhones at the end of September, when Orange brokered a deal with Apple to also distribute the product on its network. Orange sold more than 30,000 handsets on the opening day of sales for the iPhone. Vodafone has since joined the ranks and will begin selling iPhones early next year.

Sales are expected to continue their explosive growth over the busy Christmas period, with the iPhone 3G S being the hot property of the moment, and the original iPhone 3G still selling well at a cheaper discounted price.

Tesco has not yet released details of its iPhone tariff but did promise that their rates would be comparable to the competition and available in stores in time for Christmas.

Would you buy an iPhone from Tesco Mobile? Let us know your thoughts on the latest developments with a comment below.

By Tim Daffodil posted November 25, 2009 4:10 AM