Who else if not the Germans to appreciate cutting-edge, robust technology? Well, there would be the Japanese, but we saw yesterday how all that came out, so... that's another story.

A report yesterday on iPhone World says Friedrich Joussen, German chief executive of Vodafone, is very positive on Apple's new mobile phone.

Dennis Sloutsky wrote for iPhone World that the Vodafone exec is confident in the iPhone's European market success. "He believes that the iPhone will have a positive effect on Vodafone's business since it [Apple iPhone] can set new trends for downloadable mobile music market", says the reporter.

Friedrich Joussen thinks the European launch of iPhone will increase THE carriers' revenues, including their own. He believes they will benefit form the investments they've made in the development of UMTS enabled networks. There have been rumors saying Apple plans a second-generation 3G-enabled iPhone for the European market.

The iPhone seems to be the star everyone wants to hang out with. Both manufacturers and mobile carriers see the iPhone as a great opportunity of income. Several Vodafone executives have claimed they are very interested in becoming the exclusive European carrier for the iPhone.

The iPhone is said to arrive on Europen shores in October and Vodafone is the strongest contender, so it is very likely they will grab the contract.

I wonder whether they will agree to similar conditions Cingular has. The US carrier now called AT&T signed an exclusive contract with Apple that limited their involvement in the iPhone development, marketing and warranty to zero. Plus, they have to share the fees paid by subscribers with the Cupertino-based company. The contract was such that the US carrier Verizon turned it down.

Still, I'm assuming Vodafone will sign a better deal, since Apple has little, if any other option for the European market. For updates on the matter, keep your eyes on this space.