12th November - Apple's revolutionary iPhone went on sale at Apple, O2 and Carphone Warehouse retail and online stores. iPhones will be available at more than 1,300 Apple, O2 and Carphone Warehouse retail locations across the UK, giving customers their first chance to get their hands on this revolutionary new product. iPhone combines three devices into one — a mobile phone, a widescreen iPod and a breakthrough Internet device — all based on Apple’s revolutionary multi-touch interface and pioneering software that allows users to control iPhone with just a tap, flick or pinch of their fingers.

“We can’t wait for our customers to get their hands on the iPhone this Friday night”, said Ron Johnson, Apple’s senior vice president of Retail. “Every Apple retail store will offer support for iPhone at the legendary Genius Bar, and beginning Saturday morning you can learn how to get the most out of your new iPhone by attending a free workshop or scheduling a personal training session through our popular One-to-One programme”.

“O2 stores are fully geared up for what will be the year’s biggest product launch”, said Mark Stansfeld, O2’s sales director. “We’ve hired and trained hundreds of new iPhone specialists who will be in all 450 O2 stores giving live demos and showing customers how to get the most out of their iPhone”.

iPhone users in the UK will be able to activate their new iPhones using Apple’s popular iTunes software running on a PC or Mac in the comfort and privacy of their own home or office, without having to wait in a store while their phone is activated. Activating iPhone takes only minutes as iTunes guides the user through simple steps to choose their tariff and activate their iPhone. Once iPhone is activated, users can then easily sync all of their phone numbers and other contact information, calendars, email accounts, web browser bookmarks, music, photos, podcasts and TV shows just like they do when they sync their iPods with iTunes.

Pricing & Availability:
iPhone will be sold exclusively in the UK through Apple, O2 and Carphone Warehouse’s retail and online stores for £269 (inc VAT) with 8GB of storage and will work with either a PC or Mac. All Apple, O2 and Carphone Warehouse retail locations will allow customers to purchase up to two iPhones per person on a first come, first served basis. iPhone requires a new 18-month contract with O2.

Three iPhone tariffs will be available from O2 starting at £35, which all include free unlimited usage of the O2 mobile data network, and in a market first, free unlimited use of The Cloud, the UK’s largest single public Wi-Fi network, covering over 7,500 cafés, restaurants, airport lounges, pubs and other locations across the UK. In another market first, O2’s iPhone data tariff will be truly unlimited with no fair usage cap.*

iPhone activation will require an Internet connection; an iTunes Store account or a major credit card; the latest version of iTunes available at www.apple.com/uk/itunes/download and a PC or Mac with a USB 2.0 port and one of the following operating systems: Mac OS X v10.4.10 or later; Windows XP Home or Professional with Service Pack 2 or later; or Windows Vista Home Premium, Business, Enterprise or Ultimate Edition.

O2 is a leading provider of mobile services to consumers and businesses in the UK. These services include voice, text, media messaging, games, music and video, as well as always on data connections via GPRS, EDGE, 3G and WLAN. Every month, O2’s 17.8 million customers send well over a billion text messages. O2 UK is part of Telefónica O2 Europe which comprises mobile network operators in the UK, Ireland and Slovakia along with integrated fixed / mobile businesses in Germany and the Czech Republic. Telefónica O2 Europe also owns 50 percent of the Tesco Mobile and Tchibo Mobilfunk joint venture businesses in the UK and Germany respectively as well as having 100 percent ownership of Be, a leading UK fixed broadband provider.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning computers, OS X operating system and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital media revolution with its iPod portable music and video players and iTunes online store, and entered the mobile phone market this year with its revolutionary iPhone.