Apple is asking for 30 per cent of subscriber revenue and can't provide enough iPhones for a Christmas 2007 launch in Spain, according to Spanish technology company SevenClick, which reports that it got the information from a senior manager at Telefonica. It also claims the May 2008 launch will see a 3G version of Apple's super-slate.

The company's technology blog explains that Telefonica Spain would have liked to launch the iPhone this year, along with the UK, Germany and France, but Apple couldn't supply enough handsets. Telefonica would also like to negotiate down the 30 per cent revenue cut before signing up.

It comes as no surprise that Apple is working on a 3G version of its handset, and May 2008 sounds like a reasonable time frame for such a device to be launched - barring technical problems. The real question is how the addition of 3G will impact the price and battery life.

The revelation that Apple is asking for 30 per cent of subscriber revenue is also unsurprising. The percentage varies between countries, and can be dependent on if a customer is switching networks or just upgrading their handset.

May 2008 is a sensible timeline for a 3G iPhone, but by that time the competition will be well established in Spain and elsewhere, so Apple is going to have to pull a few other surprises if it's going to stay ahead. ®

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