iPhone sales in France are booming, with the French paper Le Figaro claiming that Apple has already sold between 1.8 and 2 million units, which would make the iPhone one of the more popular smartphones in the country while also giving Apple an impressive 8.5% marketshare in the broader mobile phone market in France.
iPhone sales in France are booming, with the French paper Le Figaro claiming that Apple has already sold between 1.8 and 2 million units, which would make the iPhone one of the more popular smartphones in the country while also giving Apple an impressive 8.5% marketshare in the broader mobile phone market in France. Impressively, the iPhone is expected to account for nearly half of the 3.5 million smartphone market there.
And what is the driving force behind the iPhone boom in France? Carrier non-exclusivity.
In 2007, the iPhone debuted in France exclusively via Orange, but a court soon put the kibosh on that exclusivity agreement. The iPhone subsequently become available on a number of other carriers such as SFR, Bouygues Telecom, and Vodafone. The widespread availability of the iPhone on varying carriers has undoubtedly been a boon for consumers who have benefited from price wars between the rival carriers, and since the device went non-exclusive a few months ago, iPhone sales have skyrocketed an astounding 200%.
What we can take away from this regarding the iPhone in the US is that no matter how great the iPhone, there will always be customers who will pick a carrier first and a mobile device second. In other words, there is only so much room for the iPhone to grow while it’s relegated solely to AT&T. What’s happening in France exemplifies that a multi-carrier model is beneficial not only for Apple but for consumers as well. With 2009 coming to a close, 2010 will hopefully be the year the iPhone finally comes to Verizon.
