we'll be leaving the office in droves in ten minutes time then?

Yes, but not for that reason.

No months of waiting, just BOOM, its out.

I saw that video for the Air, naturally thought "oh it'll be months before we see that", and was surprised to see it in the shops that week. I like that. Still don't want one though, i'll stick with an Asus EE.

As for the Jesus phone, wake me up when it goes SIM/contract free.

Seriously. An extra 8GB of storage isn't that useful. If they cared that much about storage, they'd have put in an SDHC slot somewhere.

Having actually played with one of these, it's a lovely bit of kit, but it's still overpriced and under-specced.

HSDPA and GPS would be ideal, as would Exchange/ActiveSync licensing... (stop laughing!)

Safari is nice though. Really, really nice.

Of course it doesn't cost £329 as contract is mandatory so the overall cost is nearer £800.

For £329 I expect a top of the range SIM free phone for that with all the whistles and bells (and most can sport more features than the iPhone). Nice UI though, but is it worth an extra £400 for it?!!!

Wud be interesting to see how many mugs NOW go and buy this Jesus phone (extra 8Gb storage only). And how many would go missing/unlocked ( Million plus?). Here we go again.

ph BCOS SHE ALSO LOOKS FED UP OF THIS DEBATE!

The local O2 shop was so crowded at dinnertime! People were waiting for this to go on sale!

I saw at least TWO people in there that weren't staff!

the US store is back online and it is showing the 16gb version for $499

however the UK site still only lists the 8gb model

perhaps the site got the continents confused in their excitement at having such an exclusive

What no MacBook Pro updates either :-(

So it now has enough storage for me to think about using it as a replacement for my 4 year old iPod but when will it have 3G and be on a Vodafone tariff? There is no O2 signal in my house but my Voda contract is up in October and a proper iPhone could be here for then maybe? Handled one for the first time today; lovely piece of kit.

http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?nnmm=browse&mco=3587D031&node=home/shop_iphone/family/iphone

Look like the store's been updated. $499 in the US for the 16GB model. Still no 3G.

iPhone 16GB -

Apple Store US - $499

Apple Store UK - not yet visible as of 13:47 on 05/02/08 but predicted to be £329.

One trip to XE.com and we see the following:

$499.00 USD = £253.828 GBP. That's some import duty!

The same applies to the new 32GB iTouch too.

Rip-off Britain indeed.

Not overly excited about the extra 8GB on the phone, handy though with apps just around the corner. More interested in the 32GB iPod Touch though.

That actually *is* pretty crowded for an O2 store, at least it is here in Derby!

The US site has both the 16gb iPhone and a new 32gb iPod Touch... I'm quite tempted to buy the latter, as its a reasosnable amount of space to put a decent number of vids on there and a bunch of music too.

to 32GB, cool the way flash prices are falling, interesting that Apple are keeping the touch storage higher to distinguish them.

I bought an iPhone last month, can't say I'm that bothered about missing this extra 8GB though, waiting for a proper specs bump before my wallet opens again.

Remains by far the best phone I've ever owned.

Just iPhone bashers here?

Shouldn't you all be busy shopping for a phone with 3G, GPS and a teasmaid?

I understand that Apple have actually licensed Exchange ActiveSync, but haven't included the feature in a current build.

I like Apple's style too, its fantastic they can bring out the best product in the industry and then apparently just a couple of months later bring out one just a little bit better!

16GB is no good if you can't take decent (nee industry standard) pictures or have 3G. C'mon there is so many better products out there.

Stop because people need to stop and think about what they are buyin.

Now all they need to do is get the iPhone up to 32GB and give it away free with an 18-month contract and they'll have me.

@TimBiller

"iPhone 16GB ... $499.00 USD = £253.828 GBP."

Remember to add VAT. It comes to £298.

The O2 shop's in Sheffield city centre, right in the busiest part. At lunch time. In the rain. Even so... 2 people!!!!

It's an option on the mailbox set-up screen - the choices are: IMAP, POP3 and Exchange.

16GB, 32GB in an over priced, over sized, MP3 player with a below average phone built in. Who really cares?

If you want to look like a sad muppet watching videos on your phone on the bus/tube/train etc. on what everyone knows is an overpriced fashion accessory then go right ahead. Personally I'll stick to my Nokia.

You forgot the VAT.

£253 + 17.5% VAT = £297. So, whilst there is a markup, it's £32, not as high as your post suggests.

I left Derby 4 years ago to move to the US, when I left they were busy knocking everything down to build the new Eagle Center, so hows that worked out then? I understand it opened recently (as in the last year)

Oh and to TimBiller, your still correct, but you forget to include sales tax, which is not included in prices quoted in the US, you have to add that on yourself.

Based on sales tax where I live, the actual price would be closer to $540 = £273 approx, still a big difference from £329 but just pointing it out.

You won't get 8 hours of talk time on the battery with 3G. Not to mention the iPhone is very US centric.

GPS is handy, I have it on my phone. But again, Apple was after battery longevity and slim form factor.

@Tim

You'll find the prices in US does not include any regional taxes etc. So, please, if you are going to compare, compare apples to apples and take 17.5% VAT off of UK price first. Then you'll see the price is much more agreable.

I thought crap couldn't get worse? Another update to an already shit phone. The fanboys WILL be pleased :) Do me a favour, if you are thinking of getting one, send me the $800 odd quid it will cost you and I will fritter the cash away for you instead :)

Mines the black leather with the N95 in it thank you very much.

Why does everyone want 3G so much!?!? Slightly faster data rates? wooo great because about 90% of people dont surf the internet or download much on their phones....

This iPhone is still a worthless piece of crap without 3G and it shows Apple's Incompetance (not being market competitive or compliant) and their arrogance believing that they can push the market into buying their substandard "gadget' just because this Red Chinese sweatshop made toy has an Apple brand on it (just like ALL their other mfg farmed out junk).

Time to just say NO to Apple.

Using an exchange rate of 1.91 (which is what I just got from my bank on a purchase from the US - they never give you the actual exchange rate of course), = 17.5% VAT, the price comes out to about £310, so the expected £329 is not that far off. Still too high, but not far off what you should expect.

Is not going to make us Brits flock to the shops to buy one. You would think Apple would have learned that the hypnotic hype that works so well in the U.S. has very little effect over here. It's still an overpriced, lacking in features brick.

Mines the asbestos one with the N82 in the pocket

@TimBiller

in addition to forgetting about VAT, You also conveniently forget about import duty for the particular goods in question (about 3% for DVDs, for example, probably similar for electrical/ electronic goods). You also forget that you earn in £'s which means, currently, you earn 2x the amount an american does. Hence you can afford twice as much/pay twice as much.

All things being equal, what is sold for $x in US should be roughtly £x - since staff costs, marketing, etc will be paid for at UK prices. You also forget the US is a FAR bigger market, hence more volume sales.

While it is nice to get things really cheaply from america, it is a bonus not a right.

I'd love to know what you do, and what you would say if someone said "I'm only paying you 1/2 what you are asking, 'cos that's how much it is in the US". I wager you would say something along the lines of "F@#k right off, I'm in the UK".

Regards Jeff

P.s. - this is being sent from a train doing about 125mph, for free. Which is nice.

A GPS like service is already available for iPhone.

Locateme (http://www.pure-mac.com/iphone/gps.html#locateme) is a freeware app for unlocked 1.1.2 iPhones that triangulates signals on o2's network, then opens it up on a map.

I tried it a couple of times earlier and it was accurate to within 50m - a lot better than I was expecting.

Even if they did price it sensibly later in the year, it's still a risky buy as people might still think you'd been an early adopter and laugh/point as now.

"You also forget that you earn in £'s which means, currently, you earn 2x the amount an american does. Hence you can afford twice as much/pay twice as much."

Troll. <plonk>

And to everyone else who responded, thanks for almost all your comments.

It's still cheaper there, mumble mumble...

Actually, the iPhone *claims* to do Exchange. However it actually relies on the Exchange server having IMAP enabled if you're trying to sync over the air. My company considers this a security risk so it isn't supported (I pretty much trust our IT dept on that one, but I'm sure someone can clarify how true it is) - in any case, it isn't proper Exchange.

As for the Outlook plug-in to sync via a data cable, apparently this is incompatible with our MAPI configuration. Don't know how plausible that is (and haven't tried it, not having an iPhone)

"16GB, 32GB in an over priced, over sized, MP3 player with a below average phone built in. Who really cares?"

You obviously, or you wouldn't be reading and posting to this thread.

Gaaaa....

£329 includes VAT The VAT-free UK price is £280. Compare that price and there's 27 quid in it. US$499 is without sales tax as well.

Please try and understand that even then it's not that simple. There is a COST of selling products in the UK that are not covered under the US pricing model. Their pricing model includes overheads such as sales staff, transport, packing, warranty etc etc which is by far cheaper in the US if you were to do the same ER comparison, especially when you consider the sales in the US will be higher than the UK. Economies of scale do actually make a difference. That and there is a market value. If people will buy it at that price, it will sell at that price. Not to mention you wouldn't expect the price of US products to fluctuate daily with the exchange rate - or would you?

Disclaimer - I'm not an Apple fanboi (but I am sorely tempted to get one and flog my ipod on ebay to offset the cost slightly), I just understand that it's not as simple as applying an exchange rate and crying wolf. Old Jobs ain't lying when he talks about the cost of doing business in the UK at the moment.

wake me up when it has 3G and +80gb iPod, then its going to be worth having.

...I hear that Apple are bringing out a posable steve jobs action figure, can you guess what its called?

Just been to the Carphone Warehouse, where the bloke looked at me like I was mental, when he checked with someone else he said "New iPhone? Not till around September. The 3G one, right?".

the iphone is a big data centric device, the most used phone on the Internet. 3g is a big deal if it happened.

I love the people that say "It's really £800".

No, it's not. It's £269/329 + the cost of the service.

The service is not free.

The service is not free from anyone.

If you choose to go PayG, you still have to Pay.

If you choose a free handset, you still have to pay contract costs.

I just got an E90 as an upgrade. It cost me money, which surprised me, and I'm now on a 24 month contract, but I've been with them for 14 years so another 2 won't make any difference. The E90 is £625 officially. Even if I bought it SIM free, I'd still need to pay for the service.

Now, frankly, if it weren't lumbered with O2, I'd buy a 16GB iPhone without hesitation. I've used one for a while which is my girlfriend's one, and I activated it for PayG use instead of letting her sign up to O2 because like me, she already has an Ameo on T-Mobile and therefore just wanted the gadget and minimal costs. We're in the minority of phone users in this regard; if O2 offered GENUINELY comparable internet connectivity to T-Mobile (and I'm not talking 3G, but rather "not blocking everything under the sun" and the ability to use the iPhone as a modem) then I'd happily use an iPhone on contract as my only phone.

Still, this does prove that still people fail to actually think about this.

Mat - you expect the drones in Carphone Warehouse to know anything? They probably still believe the iPhone has a sealed SIM and you need their insurance in case it's damaged otherwise you'd need to take out a new contract :D

I think someone is pulling your leg about IMAP. Over SSL it's as secure as anything else. I think what they might mean is they don't want the company's data on mobile devices as it's much easier to steal these than crack SSL encryption.

I've had my 3g iPod since it was launched back in April '03. I've still not filled the 30GB capacity. Love the iPod touch, and 32GB is now usable for me. The cost is less than I paid for my iPod five years ago, yet it's slimmer, uses SSD instead of HDD and has a proper colour screen. I think you could consider that progress.

having owned many previous phones to my iphone now, I can safely say shut up about bloody 3g, your phone now has 3g so what, it almost certainly can't render a simple HTML table properly, let alone a whole website, mobile safari does a massive poo on any other mobile browser I've seen, so I dont really care a page might take an extra few seconds to load, won't be rushing out for 16gb though I've got an 80gb iPod but now I only really take my phone most places, I tend not to listen to 700 albums a day

Until this phone has 3G + fully functioning WFi ... no additional memory is going to sell this phone.... want a flash music device… buy a itouch!

IMAP over SSL is very secure, however to *actually* get it to work properly with an iPhone is incredibly complex.... mine almost does but is a little flakey (actually a lot)

3G - has anyone slating it for not having 3G actually ever used one? The Cloud WiFi networks are all over the place, and for the few occasions when there isn't one the Edge/GPRS is still impressive. I did a side by side comparison with a friend opening a variety of websites, me on a TyTN 2 he on an iPhone... i had 3G he only had Edge, in many cases the iPhone was quicker at opening sites and in most cases the website was a boat load clearer! 3G makes no difference IMHO, other than killing the battery. I'd love a built in GPS chip and TomTom for it though.

I still chortle at the "huge associated costs" with the phone too, as someone has already pointed out above, whatever phone you have, you have to have a contract (or a prepay) and that costs money. The revised O2 tariffs don't look all that bad actually.....

I can't stand touch screens. Until they make this thing piece of crap with buttons I'm not buying it. You'd have to be mad to get one without buttons.

"Why does everyone want 3G so much!?!? Slightly faster data rates? wooo great because about 90% of people dont surf the internet or download much on their phones...."

We want 3G because it's FASTER THAN EDGE and not to mention the CURRENT STANDARD in Europe.

I love the way while we have no 3G iPhone the fanboys are all 'nobody needs 3G' and the fact that apparently '90% of people dont surf the internet' - your source for those figures fanboy? It's true that nobody downloads anything on an iPhone, because the browser is crippled to prevent downloading (and uploading for that matter). Opera users however are happily uploading VIDEO they have shot on their PHONE to YouTube.

Approximately 1ms after the 3G iPhone is announced, expect to feel an Earth tremor as the fanboys instantly flip flop to a pro-3G stance.

my last phone (nokia N93) was 3g, but it was barely usable for anything internet related, it seemed it could barely load the mobile google homepage let alone a proper site with tables et al, anything but the most basic of pages was an utter nightmare to navigate, you had to scroll down through EVERY SINGLE ITEM that happened to be in any and every drop down box or set of radio buttons, so while my iphone may take that extra few seconds for a page to load over gprs/edge, i feel the extra time it takes is more than compensated for by having the page properly formatted and easy to navigate, i find it really quite funny that so many people (almost all of whom clearly just haven't actually used an iphone) are going on saying 'boo hoo the whole device is crap because its not 3g' when the browser is clearly (well, at least according to MY central nervous system) better than any before it, so yes, each to their own eh?!, you may wish to scroll SLOWLY through every country in the world, every day of the month and each year from 1900 onwards to fill out a simple form only to find out at the end it doesnt submit properly, just as I used to, but ---> I <--- PREFER my iPhone, because it actually works