UK Retailers told to keep schtum about Apple iPhone disappointment

(Picture via pressdisplay).

Well I never. I really thought Apple’s iPhone would have done a lot better. The figures aren’t out yet but if this piece if anything to go by, the non-iPhone mobile operators don’t seem to have much to worry about. The big up front cost together with the steep 18-month contract seem to be – at least anecdotally – preventing the massive uptake predicted by many (including me).

Perhaps this news story I published on the launch UK weekend is a good indication of realities:
UK iPhone launch: 18 staff and 3 customers in Winchester (Carphone Warehouse)

The Mail on Sunday is reporting that…

APPLE has banned UK retailers of its heavily hyped iPhone from reporting sales figures amid evidence that British consumers have shunned the device.

In a Christmas season that saw sales of mobile phones soar by number but crash by value, the £269 unit disappointed. But the California-based designer of the phone has told network O2 and retailer Carphone Warehouse not to tell investors the figures, according to industry insiders.