How to launch an iPhone - Orange UK gets it right

The iPhone finally went on sale from a second operator in the UK today. Orange began retailing the King of Smartphones after a long run-up… and according to reports, the first day of iPhone sales from Orange has smashed previous records for units sold in a single day. Why the rush?

What’s up?

The iPhone has been available in the UK from O2 for a year now. But 30,000 devices were sold by Orange today - more than O2 ever shifted in a  single day. Why are people flocking to buy the device from Orange instead?

For me it comes down to two basic reasons:

1) The iPhone is now a proven property.

When the iPhone launched, people knew it was going to be cool. They just didn’t know HOW cool. Or successful. One year, multiple upgrades and over 2 billion apps later everyone knows what the iPhone is capable of. So imagine, if you will, a subscriber with Orange who really wanted an iPhone. That customer has spent a year seeing all these great things happening on iPhone… whetting their appetite. But for any number of good reasons (they like their operator, or their plan, or they are just too lazy) they don’t jump ship. Then Orange begins to sell iPhones, and they sprint down to their local retailer on the first day to snap up the device that has been teasing them for 12 months.

Out of the 20 million or so customers O2 has in the UK, how many of them do you think match the above descriprion? 30,000 or so? Maybe.

2) Mobile data

While Orange is being careful not to get into a price war with O2, there’s no such regard when it comes to data. While the prices for data from Orange are pretty good, I still feel that the 750MB fair usage limit on its “unlimited” mobile broadband is a little restrictive. But Orange has taken the precaution of dropping the price for enabling tethering on your iPhone - in other words, you can use your Orange iPhone as a plug-in modem for your laptop, or even for your computer at home. I wouldn’t advise that, though, because for less than 10 pounds sterling a month you can get tethering AND home broadband from Orange. It may not be streets better than O2, but it’s an additional effort from the operator to make data usage easier on the device. And that attracts customers.