Europe iPhones It In

5:30 PM -- Evidently the lure of the Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) iPhone wasn't quite as strong in the U.K. as it was when the device launched in the U.S. back in June. The Beeb reports that some 300 people were queuing at an Apple store in London for a first shot at the phone this morning, in contrast to lines 'round the block when the device launched with AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) this summer. (See The iPhone Arrives.)

Nonetheless, the launch for Telefónica UK Ltd. did see some ardent iPhonistas lining up in the cold. They will pay $566 for an 8GB model; the equivalent gadget in the U.S. costs $399.

The iPhone's costly Euro appeal has even seen some attempting to sell unlocked phones -- presumably sourced from the U.S. -- or Chinese replicas on EBay. Like its American cousin, the U.K. iPhone is supposed to remain locked to the service provider's network, a change from the norm in Merry Olde, where many buy unlocked devices and prepaid services.

— Dan Jones, Site Editor, Unstrung