It’s been eleven weeks since the iPhone invaded Germany, and in that time Deutsche Telekom has sold 70,000 units. That comes out to almost 40 an hour, if they were selling 24/7, which, given German efficiency, they likely were. Having Hasslehoff as a spokesman probably helped as well.
The lion’s share of the iPhones are still American, by far, but the fact that it’s picking up this kind of steam across the Atlantic is proof that it’s not just a luxury item, it’s a mass-market sensation.
70.000 is rather disappointing. France bought 70.000 in half the time and in the UK nearly three times as many iPhone were bought.
Well, T-Mobile has the highest rates worldwide with 50 Euros (~70 Dollars) for just 100 minutes and 40 SMS :-(
with 70k units sold, germany is indeed the slowest iPhone market. france and the UK are much more “iPhone crazy” than the germans. note that in france the iPhone is sold unlocked (optional) due to local laws.
and re: the 24/7 remark – most german T-Mobile stores close at 8 PM and are closed on sundays.