Every silver lining has a cloud, well it seems to in Vodafones case. This morning Vodafone announced that it will be selling the latest models of the Iphone, the 3G and 3Gs in both Ireland and the UK. The cloud came later in the announcement when Vodafone stated that it will begin selling the phone in early 2010. Why is that such an issue? Vodafone will not be able to sell the handset over the busiest period of the year, Xmas. Orange on the other hand can.

How the hell did this happen? I think it could be down to one of two reasons:

1. Apple wanted to limit the supply of Iphones in order to ensure prices were kept high over what is the busiest time of the year. As Apple had Vodafone over a barrel, given the important that Vodafone places on the device, Apple could dictate terms.
2. There are further announcements to come. Vodafone are massive, have more clout that any other global operator and have been burnt before. The Newbury based company would not let Apple prevent it from selling the phone over Xmas unless it was getting something else in return. There may be a new handset out next year, exclusive to Vodafone that Apple doesnt want leaked until Orange and O2 have sold lots of their stocks of the current models.

Only time will tell if my guesses / predictions are right but there is a little bit of method behind my madness.