O2 have made some changes to their pay monthly contracts for iPhone users. The changes will result in customers on the £35 per month contract now getting three times as many minutes and just over double the number of texts they currently are entitled to each month.
There’s also a new £45 per month tariff that allows customers to enjoy the same amount of minutes and texts as the £55 plan it replaces. There is also a new £75 tariff for those who need around 3000 minutes and 500 texts per month.
So, the cheapest contract you can take out with an iPhone is still £35 per month, although you now get more minutes and texts for your money. For ‘super users,’ there is a new £75 per month contract.
It’s also worth pointing out that O2 is still giving all iPhone customers unlimited data browsing which is worth quite a bit in itself although before buying we’d advise that you look at the small print – often services which compete with services the mobile network offer (i.e. SMS, MMS, VoIP such as Skype etc.) are not included in the unlimited data bundles. So you may well be charged for use of services such as Skype or MSN/Windows Messenger. This varies from contract to contract. All iPhone customers still receive unlimited data browsing and access to The Cloud’s Wi-Fi hotspots through free ‘bolt ons’ (O2’s term for bundles) onto their contract which is valued at £15 per month. For those who are unaware, The Cloud provides wi-fi access in numerous places, including many McDonalds restaurants in the U.K.
In a press release, O2 has reassured existing customers that they won’t miss out – they will be transferred to the new iPhone tariffs sometime during this month (February) and according to the same press release, all customers should be benefiting by mid March.
Apple have updated the iPod touch and iPhone.
The latest iPhone features 16 gigabytes of memory and retails for $499. The new iPod Touch comes with 32 GB of memory and retails for $499.
The new devices are available through Apple’s online and retail stores. Apple said that all iPhone and iPod Touch models come with updated software that the company announced in January.
Research analysts have reported in recent days that Apple is aggressively cutting back production on iPods and iPhones, while increasing production on Mac computers.
Craig Berger, an analyst with FBR Research, told clients in a research note this week that Apple has reduced orders for iPhones and iPods for the second time in two months.
“For both iPods and iPhones, we believe Apple was previously targeting a roughly 50 percent quarter-over-quarter decline for first quarter units, whereas we now think the firm is targeting a 60 percent quarter-over-quarter unit decline for first-quarter units,” he wrote.
Rumours are around that Apple could be developing a games console.
The rumour started when a listing appeared at the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the patent described
‘handheld units for playing electronic games; handheld units for playing videogames, standalone videogame machines; electronic games other than those adapted for use with television receivers only; LCD games machines, electronic educational game machines; toys, namely battery-powered computer games’.
Is Apple looking to expand on the iPod and iPhone ?
This looks even more likely with a job vacancy posted by Apple looking for a “Game Producer/Designer”, with “Proven track-record in the areas of game design and production, 6+ years of Game production / Game design experience, Possesses a deep appreciation for casual games and demonstrates a strong understanding of genre and marketplace trends”.
Amazon.com are offering a free iPod Shuffle 2G when you purchase an iPod Touch.
At the moment this deal is only available in the US, but it would definitely be an incentive for more people to purchase the ipod Touch 32GB. It could also mean Apple are withdrawing the 1GB Shuffle to be replaced with the new 2GB Shuffle.
The Ad reads “Get a 1 GB shuffle for Free with This Purchase! You qualify for a free 1 GB iPod shuffle with the purchase of this 32 GB iPod touch from Amazon.com. Eligible 1 GB shuffles include the blue, green, silver, and purple. Just add both items to your cart and you will not be charged for the shuffle“.