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On the heels of announcing it will begin selling iPhones in the UK on Nov. 9, Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) 
said the phone's German debut will take place on the same day, but the device will be tied to a different carrier.
The company said T-Mobile will be the exclusive German carrier for the iPhone. In the UK, Apple chose O2 as the exclusive carrier, a position held in the United States by AT&T (NYSE: T) .
Apple sold its millionth iPhone just 74 days after it went on sale in the U.S. on June 29.
Apple is "thrilled to be partnering with T-Mobile" for the endeavor, CEO Steve Jobs said. "Customer response to iPhone in the U.S. has been incredible, and we can't wait to introduce T-Mobile customers to the most revolutionary mobile device on the planet," added Jobs.
T-Mobile On the Hotspot
By the end of the year, T-Mobile will be the only German carrier to offer EDGE (Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution) throughout its GSM (Global Standard for Mobile communication) network, Apple noted. "EDGE accelerates the mobile data transfer rate to over 220 kilobits per second, which makes it almost four times as fast as ISDN (integrated services digital network) in fixed-line networks," said Apple. "With EDGE, the German market leader offers its customers 100 percent broadband -- anywhere and at any time"
The iPhone can also connect to the Internet via WiFi hotspots, and Apple noted T-Mobile has more than 20,000 hotspots globally, making it the largest WiFi provider in the world. "Of those hotspots, 8,600 are in Germany, where hotspot users can achieve download speeds of up to 11 megabytes per second," said Apple
Overpriced and Slow?
Nevertheless, Europeans are probably not going to be as starstruck by the iPhone as were Americans, noted Strategy Analytics analyst Neil Mawston. For one thing, the device is not a 3G phone.
"Coolness seems to be overriding everything, but the core story is that it's an overpriced, slow handset," Mawston told MacNewsWorld. "If it was anything other than an Apple phone, it probably wouldn't do as well. They are asking people to pay (US) $500-plus for what is essentially an aging handset in speed terms -- a non-3G phone in Western Europe, where EDGE is yesterday's news."
The iPhone will be sold in Germany through Telekom Shops of Deutsche Telekom (NYSE: DT) and the T-Mobile Web shop. Buyers will be required to sign a two-year T-Mobile contract.
Forced Monogamy
The fact that they will be locked into using T-Mobile because the iPhone's SIM card is not removable might dissuade some prospective customers, said JupiterResearch analyst Neil Strother. By switching SIM cards, GSM phone owners can use their devices with different wireless carriers when they travel and can often save money on roaming charges.
"In most GSM phones sold around the world and in Europe, you can pop in a different SIM card easily," Strother told MacNewsWorld. "That's another physical difference of iPhone versus most other cell phones around the world. Technically speaking, you should be able to switch carriers, but in this case it's a unique device. It's Apple and it's a hot product and they are trying to set a new course here."
However, Europeans can often get phones such as the Nokia (NYSE: NOK) N95 -- which has many of the multimedia features found in the iPhone -- for free with the purchase of multi-year contracts, Strother said.
In the End, Coolness Rules
Europeans are a bit more hooked on text messaging than are Americans, Strother said. Many have found the iPhone's virtual keypad to be difficult for texting, a factor that might influence European sales .
Nevertheless the status symbol appeal of the iPhone will, at least initially, prompt Germans to stand in line on Nov. 9, Strother said.
"Good for the Germans, good for the Brits," said Strother. "Have at it. I suppose there will probably be fanatics who will stand in line. I wouldn't be surprised if there's a bit of a stand-in-line mentality, although it may not be as great as it was here"
The iPhone debut will undoubtedly create lines outside stores, Mawston said, noting that Apple products in general do not sell as well in Europe as they do in the U.S.
"Because it is such a high-status device, people will be willing to forgo [any drawbacks] just to get their hands on the status symbol, at least for the short-term," he predicted. "But I don't think the queues will be quite as long."
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