re: UK iPhoneIn the US retail prices are quoted ex-sales tax. How much you pay depends on the state you are in.
In the UK retail prices are quoted including VAT at a rate of 17.5%.
If you reverse out the VAT in -ú269 you get about -ú229. At today's rates that's about $457. Assuming retail sales tax in the US at 8% or so you get $431.
So the retail prices are really broadly comparable.
But the real question is the total cost of ownership if you use it as a phone and subscribe to O2 or AT&T and then compare it with a similar functionality phone on a similar plan. In the US the cheapest plan is $60 per month for two years. I have no idea about the UK. I have a feeling you won't be complaining about the -ú15 price difference.
re: UK iPhoneNow I know that it -ú35 a month for 18 months there is a better picture. US minimum commitment = $1840. UK minimum commitment = -ú900 or $1800 at today's rates. So you get it in the US for 6 more months but early adopters like to change their phones more frequently so a shorter commitment is probably better in many ways. I would say they stack up pretty closely.
re: UK iPhoneRemember that phones in the UK are often sold without a contract, the faster HSDPA-capable Samsung i600 , for instance, is available for -ú218 or so without a contract. So that's two things different about the iPhone.
In the UK retail prices are quoted including VAT at a rate of 17.5%.
If you reverse out the VAT in -ú269 you get about -ú229. At today's rates that's about $457. Assuming retail sales tax in the US at 8% or so you get $431.
So the retail prices are really broadly comparable.
But the real question is the total cost of ownership if you use it as a phone and subscribe to O2 or AT&T and then compare it with a similar functionality phone on a similar plan. In the US the cheapest plan is $60 per month for two years. I have no idea about the UK. I have a feeling you won't be complaining about the -ú15 price difference.