27 November 2007
Apple's iPhone - the most hyped gadget of the year - might not sell as well as hoped, reports suggest.
The device's high price has been cited as a reason for the apparent customer turn-off.
Researchers at GfK NOP have released a report, showing that the £269 device - which also carries a compulsory 18-month contract with network O2 - is on just 2% of British Christmas lists.
However, the massive publicity campaign for the mobile phone has been a success - with 75% of those polled saying that they "had heard" of it.
"Apple's history proves that it has the magic touch when it comes to product development and marketing - but the iPhone has yet to capture the imagination of the UK public," said Richard Jameson, Managing Director of the research firm.
Citing a study from an analyst at US researchers Piper Jaffray, industry website ZDNet revealed yesterday that the equivalent of only one iPhone per hour was being sold in Apple stores worldwide - comparing poorly with the 13 iPods purchased.
Moreover, leaked UK sales figures reported by PC Pro appear to show that just 30,000 iPhones have been sold so far - short of Apple's public target of 200,000 sales by the end of 2007.
© 2008 Adfero Ltd
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