Apple forcing Israelis to repair iPhones in U.K.

The draconian terms that Apple laid down in its contracts with Israel's cellular service providers - for the right to sell iPhones in Israel - include sending malfunctioning devices to England for repair.

The companies are prohibited from setting up repair shops for the trendy cell phones here in Israel. They will also have to bear the costs of transporting malfunctioning iPhones to Britain.

At present, if a mobile phone stops working, whether it be a Nokia, a Samsung, a Sony Ericsson or a Motorola, the companies repair them in-house. This is part of the service, with the customer usually waiting at the service center to get the phone back.

That won't be the case if the device has to be flown to England for repair.

But the greatest cost to the companies won't even be the transportation of the device: after all it's small and doesn't have to fly first-class. The biggest outlay will be on temporary replacement devices to keep the customer happy until his phone comes home.

iPhones will be marketed in Israel by the three main cellular companies: Pelephone, Partner Communications and Cellcom.