Why Waiting On An iPhone Deal In Europe Hurts AppleWhy Waiting On An iPhone Deal In Europe Hurts Apple

So now France Telecom, parent company of Orange France, has gone from "Non non" to "Oui oui" on talks with Apple about becoming one of the European carriers for the red-hot iPhone once it (finally) makes its way to the Continent. Leaving aside for the moment the question of which operator(s) will get the privilege of offering the 365-Euro touch-screen wonder, here are three reasons that the longer these negotiations play out, the worse it is for Apple.1. "There's always time to make a bad deal." My wife likes to say this, quoting a former boyfriend who's a Hollywood power broker. Frankly I'm never quite sure what it means but I think it applies to the Euro-carriers in this case. Apple has all the leverage on its side right now; the more time that elapses between the U.S. release and the eventual deal for continental distribution, that advantage inevitably erodes. Steve Jobs obviously thinks otherwise, but we all know what a megalomaniac Jobs is.