The unlocking community is expecting new surge in business as crack for O2-tied iPhone 3G S is in the pipe

Dealers are confident the new Apple iPhone 3G S will be an unlocking success, but said it will take time before they can find an appropriate solution.

The new model, released again on the O2 network on June 19, has seen a surge of buyers ask unlockers to free the handset up from O2 tariffs they deem too expensive.

Fone Doctors proprietor Faisal Sheikh said: “We had a few enquiries over the opening weekend but we’re still getting a lot of the old 3G models in for unlocking.

“We have an unlocking solution but the problem is how to load it onto the handset. It may take a few weeks for this to happen and once people realise that this is again possible, the encouraging sales of the iPhone 3G S are likely to get better, fuelling more unlocking requests.”

Phone Tek-Nation store manager Jamie Turner said: “We’re offering an unlock but we’re still to test it and are working out how exactly to use it.

“We’ve had about a dozen requests and are openly advertising that we can unlock the phone. It appears that the unlock could take as little as 30 minutes so once word spreads on that, I’m confident we’ll be flooded with requests.”

Article by Mobile News

The launch of the new iPhone 3G S saw long queues outside stores this morning as O2 claimed footfall in its stores was 10 times higher than on an average day.

The operator said it sold more of the new devices in the first two hours than it would normally sell in one day, while its online shop saw a 150% increase in traffic.

Over half of O2’s iPhone customers have downloaded the new 3.0 software, after it went on sale on Wednesday (17 June).

The black version of the new iPhone is outselling the white by a 3:1 ratio, with O2 adding that it is ‘likely to sell out of some variants’ in ‘a number of stores’. More stock will be shipped this weekend.

Meanwhile, Carphone stores had started to sell out of the new model by lunchtime, with one Oxford Circus store sporting a ’sold out’ sign in the window.

Carphone CEO, Andrew Harrison, said: ‘The launch has gone incredibly well for us with sales of the iPhone 3GS surpassing even our expectations.

‘We received 18,000 pre-registration inquiries for the handset, which is the best response of any handset we have had. Stores across the country opened from 7.30am onwards and we’ve seen streams of customers through our doors.

Written by Mobile Today

The manufacturer’s new 3.0 software will launch to all iPhone users

Two new iPhones will launch next week (19 June) on O2, alongside Apples’s new iPhone OS 3.0 software.

The software will be available to download ahead of the handset launch on 17 June and will be free to all existing iPhone users. It will offer over 100 new features.

The iPhone 3G S will be free on some consumer and business tariffs and will be available on pay as you go.

It will have improved battery life, a higher resolution 3-megapixel camera and a built-in digital compass.

The existing iPhone, the iPhone 3G 8GB will cost £342, while the new 16G will cost £440 and the new 32GB £538.

Article by Mobile News

According to Mobile Squared, Apple is experiencing average daily downloads of 5.1 million applications. The company has calculated that at this rate it will reach one billion by April 23.

At the start of December Apple announced it had passed the 200 million download mark, followed by an announcement of 500 million downloads by January 19.

Mobile Squared chief researcher Nick Lane said: “It took Apple almost six months to reach its first 500 million app
downloads and the following 500 million downloads in just 94 days. That equates to an improved average daily download figure of 2.98 million for the first 500 million to 5.32 million per day for the second 500 million downloads.”

Mobile Squared’s research concludes that  around 75 per cent of Apple applications downloaded are free. Of those paid-for apps, the average cost per download is around US$2.20 (£1.48).

It has also calculated that on April 23, the average number of paid-for Apple downloads will reach 250 million generating revenues of US$550 million. Based on Apple’s 30-70 revenue share model, apps have generated an additional US$165 million for Apple and US$385 million to the developer and publisher community.

Written By Mobile News

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