Apple signs iPhone distribution deals in Germany, Italy

Apple has reportedly signed a number of deals that will help ensure wide availability of the iPhone 3G. In Germany, Apple has reached a deal with computer reseller Gravis to sell the iPhone 3G with T-Mobile contracts through its chain of stores. The phones will also be available through T-Mobile shops. As Apple lacks its own retail store in Germany, the deal with Gravis will help widen distribution of the phone in the country. Apple runs only a single store in Italy, and has decided to allow local Apple Premium Resellers to offer the iPhone 3G through their stores, supplementing the sales of Vodafone and Telecom Italia, both of which will offer the handset. The company is expected to take a similar approach in the Netherlands, allowing Apple resellers to sell the iPhone. The Carphone Warehouse became the first third-party reseller of the iPhone when the device launched in the United Kingdom last November.