PR Week Echo Columns

The UK launch of the much-hyped Apple iPhone at the Apple store in Regent St, as well as O2 and Carphone warehouse shops across the country was either "mayhem by exhibitionists keen to get on the telly" (The Register, 12 Nov) or "an expertly concocted publicity event" (Guardian, 10 Nov) - or perhaps both. Nik Fletcher from Petersfield, at the head of the queue, was indeed liberally quoted about getting his hands on the 'must-have gadget', but seemed to be heeding police advice that iPhones could "trigger a mugging wave" (Sun, 9 Nov) by "getting the hell out of this city" (Guardian and others, 10 Nov).

The gadget was dismissed by Keith Waterhouse as "the electronic equivalent of the Swiss army knife" (Mail on Sunday, 11 Nov) but hailed by Stephen Fry as an "instant icon" (Guardian, 10 Nov). Apple devotees were delighted with the revolutionary technology, but most store visitors on what Carphone Warehouse's Charles Dunstone described as "an important day for the phone industry" (Sun, 13 Nov) were concerned about being locked into an expensive 18-month contract with O2 - though probably not as concerned as Dunstone's employees who were reportedly missing out on a Christmas party to pay for CPW's £10m marketing agreement with Apple (The Register, 12 Nov).