14 DAY TRIAL // Wireless carrier Vodafone UK has just launched the Apple iPhone on its airwaves in the country, and it seems that it registered a noticeable success, namely 50,000 units sold during the first day of availability only, according to ME. Considering that the handset is already available in the country via other carriers, one of which, namely O2, has had it exclusively for a long time, Vodafone's first day sales seem to be pretty good.
For comparison, Orange UK has released the Apple iPhone on its airwaves in November last year, and the company announced that it managed to sell a number of 30,000 units during the first day of availability. However, it should also be noted that Vodafone has released the iPhone both via direct and indirect sales channels, and that might have been a great advantage. At the same time, it should be mentioned that a large amount of the first day sales of the iPhone on Vodafone consisted of pre-orders.
However, the sales of iPhone via Vodafone UK still look impressive enough. According to a recent report, Google managed to move only 20,000 Nexus One units during the first week of sales, so the numbers speak for themselves. Vodafone has put on sales three iPhone versions, namely the iPhone 3G, the iPhone 3GS 16 GB and the iPhone 3GS 32GB, priced anywhere between free and £280, depending on the monthly plan and the contract period one would choose. All offers can be seen here.
In addition to launching the iPhone, Vodafone is also reported to have made available two applications for the device, namely the Vodafone 360 People Sync and Vodafone Navigation. The former offers users a simple solution for transferring their contacts from the handset they own to the iPhone (more than 500 devices are supported). The latter is a turn-by-turn navigation solution for UK motorists, which comes for free until the end of April, after which users have to pay £3 a month by the end of their contract agreement, or £5 a month on a month-by-month basis.