Apple Sets U.K. iPhone Launch

Updated from 6:43 a.m. EDT

Apple AAPL laid out plans Tuesday to launch the iPhone in the United Kingdom, marking the first step in its broader plans to mine Europe for sales as the continent becomes increasingly vital to the company's growth.

At a press conference in London, Chief Executive Steve Jobs said Apple will begin selling the iPhone on Nov. 9 through an exclusive relationship with the carrier O2, a subsidiary of Spain's Telefonica TEF.

"We're thrilled to be partnering with O2 to offer our revolutionary iPhone to U.K. customers," Jobs said at the conference. "U.S. iPhone customer satisfaction is off the charts, and we can't wait to let U.K. customers get their hands on it and learn what they think of it."

Apple is following the outlines of the game plan it sketched out when executives told analysts during a recent conference call that the company would begin selling the iPhone in major European markets during the current quarter.

The company is hoping that the regional popularity of the iPod and iTunes music service has seeded local markets with demand for the iPhone and the iMac as it opens new stores across the continent.

"Apple is pursuing a multipronged strategy and the iPhone is just one weapon in its arsenal," said Fati Naraghi, head of technology research at U.K.-based Newton Investment Management, which holds Apple shares.