Having suffered from O2’s exclusive deal and Orange’s quicker introduction of the iPhone when that deal ended, Vodafone are unsurprisingly keen to push for a strong connection to Apple’s next headline grabbing product, the iPad. Vodafone’s CEO spoke extremely positively about the iPad, arguing that the product is likely to improve customer’s mobile experience, and declaring himself ‘very interested in having it’.
Apple are already thought to have begun searching for a UK partner over the past few days, and though Vodafone refused to reveal whether any meeting has been held so far, their overt enthusiasm can probably be taken as a clue. Orange is known to have held talks very early on, while there are also rumors going around that both Orange and O2 have already ordered in a large supply of the micro SIM cards necessary to run an iPad, suggesting that both are feeling positive about their chances of stocking the device.
Having just announced some of their best financial results of all time, though, Vodafone have every reason to be optimistic, too, with all three of the major service providers likely to have their say before a final deal is struck. It’s still early stages, of course, but judging by the early web hype and extensive interest in the iPad, which falls somewhere between a mobile phone and a laptop in terms of functionality, it’s an almost guaranteed cash cow for whichever service providers nails down a deal. There is no certainty, however, that any deal would be exclusive, with every possibility that Apple may opt for all three major service providers – possibly along with a host of high street stores, too – to give the public greater options and push the iPad forward through a greater number of outlets.
