Orange iPhone sells more than 30,000 on first day

Apple's iPhone 3G and 3G S went on sale on the Orange network yesterday, ending two years of mobile monogamy for Apple with O2 in the UK.

On the iPhone's first day on Orange, 30,000 of the devices were sold across the UK by 16:00(GMT).

The operator announced in September it would begin selling the iPhone 3G and 3G S before the end of the year after Apple's two-year exclusive contract with O2 came to an end.

Rival operator Vodafone has also announced it will begin selling iPhones - but not until next year.

Reporting its fourth quarter profits last month, Apple revealed it sold 7.4 million iPhones during the quarter, a seven per cent year-on-year increase.