Europe

As mentioned last week, Apple will be rolling out its "12 Days of Christmast" promotion for almost all of Europe. From December 26th to January 6th, anyone with a iTunes account in the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Austria, the Netherlands, Finland, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, and Ireland can download a free song, music video, app, television show, or film from feature acts on iTunes.

In order to help remember the giveaway, Apple has created a "12 Days of Christmas" iPhone app [UK App Store, free], which uses push notifications to alert you when the new download is available and also allows you to connect to Facebook and recommend the download to your friends.

Apple Inc is currently investigating media reports that one or more of the company's iPhones have exploded in Europe, a European Commission spokeswoman said on Tuesday. According to Reuters, the spokeswoman for the EU executive, which oversees the safety of consumer products sold in the 27-country bloc, said Apple had described the reported incidents as isolated.

Apple said it was aware of the media reports, which include a case in which a teenager in France said he was slightly injured when his iPhone made a hissing noise and shattered, but did not comment on any contacts with the Commission.

On Friday, wireless carrier T-Mobile confirmed last month's rumors that the operator was scouring Europe for contract-free Apple iPhones to offer as incentives for customers to stay with them.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Richard Moat, UK managing director of T-Mobile stated that T-Mobile had supplied iPhones "to a few hundred" high-value contract customers.

Ten of the top cell phone makers in the world, including Apple Inc., have agreed to support a Europe-wide standard for cell phone chargers. Starting next year, they will begin including a standard micro-USB jack on all new data-capable handheld internet devices, including the iPhone. The decision is the brainchild of the European Commission, which has been pushing for such a standard to make things easier for consumers.

One of the big pet-peaves for many iPhone users that was apparent early on is that the iPhone's battery isn't user replaceable, but they may have to change it soon if a new directive from the European Union is passed. They are pushing a regulation requiring that all electronic devices in Europe have a battery that can be easily replaced by the user.