The future's confusing, the future's Apple
France Telecom have confirmed that the Apple iPhone will launch in 12 Orange stores throughout the country as of 6:30pm this evening.
The iPhone will retail at €399, as it did when launched in Germany via T-Mobile, and contracts will be available from €49 to €119 per month.
All pretty straight forward so far, but here's where the plot thickens. The trouble with the iPhone so far is that it's locked to certain networks and that clearly doesn't favour the consumer. In Germany, T-Mobile now offer the iPhone without contract for a mammoth €999 following a contest in court with Vodaphone.
Similar deals are available in France too where Orange will unlock the iPhone for €100 during the first six months after purchasing the device. They'll even let you buy the iPhone without one of the four "Orange for iPhone" contracts. When doing so however, the iPhone will retail at €549 with any other Orange plan or €649 without a contract at all.
Did you get that? No? Don't worry, neither did we. The important thing is, the iPhone will be available in France tonight without a contract at a much cheaper price than in Germany. At this rate, it could one day become affordable.
Further Reading
Source: MarketWatch.com
Related: iPhone out of contract in Germany
