The march of Apple's iPhone around the world is picking up steam. Vodafone announced Tuesday that it has signed an agreement with the Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple to sell the device in 10 markets.
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No Mention of 3G
While there have been rumors that Apple would come out with a 3G model sometime this year, Vodafone's announcement makes no mention of whether it will be selling the 3G version or the current model.
Avi Greengart, an analyst with industry research firm Current Analysis, noted this is the first deal between Vodafone and Apple, and that it "tremendously expands the worldwide distribution of the iPhone." Up to now, that distribution has been limited to a few countries besides the U.S.
He said the announcement was as notable for what it didn't say as for what it did. He pointed out there was no mention of availability or pricing, in addition to no mention about whether it would be the 3G version. Greengart said his "personal speculation" is that the 3G model will be announced very soon, because Apple wants it out in time for the holiday season.
The coming of the 3G iPhone has been the subject of various rumors and reports, such as a report in March from a Bank of America analyst that the device would be coming this month.
3G 'Necessary' for 10 Million
IDC analyst Chris Hazelton agreed that the 3G iPhone will probably be announced in the near future, although he said he "wouldn't be surprised" if it started shipping as soon as it was announced -- meaning it could be made public right up to the edge of the holiday-season window.
He added that a 3G version is "necessary" for Apple to reach its announced goal of 10 million iPhones sold by the end of this year. He said Apple has received sales boosts from adding more memory, lowering the price, and, recently, by opening the device up to third-party software development, but there is a large "pent-up demand" waiting for 3G.
The Vodafone announcement included a couple of countries that Hazelton described as "interesting surprises," including Italy and India. He said there had been rumors that Apple would go with Telecom Italia for that market. And, he noted, India is "a massive market" of a billion people where, although most of the country doesn't have cell phones, the portion that does represents a large number of customers.
Later reports indicated that both Vodafone and Telecom Italia will sell the iPhone in Italy, a departure from Apple's past practice of selecting exclusive carriers.
Hazelton noted the irony -- and the opportunity for Apple -- that in a developing market such as India, the first time many customers will access the Internet will be through an iPhone.
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