Don't let your heart rule your head

Kris Sangani, editor, consumer electronics section

Just a couple of weeks before the launch, O2 in the UK were propagandising the "limited stock" of iPhones that they had in store. Were they perhaps worried that there were not going to be any fanatical customers camping outside their flagship stores?

Why am I suspicious? During the launch of the first iPhone, I was in Orlando, Florida, waiting outside that city’s flagship Apple Store with about 20 happy campers wilting on the sidewalk.

After the 12 o'clock countdown – which was followed by typical extravagant American ‘woo-hoos’ – everyone was quickly served, and departed with their new toy. For the rest of the day, the staff outnumbered customers. The next day, most stores around the world reported that they still had plenty of iPhones to sell.

If you walk into your nearest Apple Store or O2 branch today, you won’t have any difficulty obtaining one ‘for free’ on contract – assuming you pass the credit check and hand over £30 each month.

I won’t be joining them, as I already have a contract with Orange, which has supplied me with an HTC brick-shaped device, which pretty much does everything I need. My contract runs out in October and only then will I consider changing networks to O2 and getting an iPhone.

But my cynicism will probably prevent me from doing so. My heart wants an iPhone but, as I write about this business, my  head will keep an eye on the purse strings and tell me that I don’t need to upgrade just because I can do it without penalty.

Categories: Consumer technology - blog ,