Apple has learned its lesson from early stumbling blocks it encountered with the iPhone in the U.S. market, and is being proactive. This, according to the Wall Street Journal, which said that Apple’s efforts to secure WiFi hot spots in the UK for iPhone users before it launched the device in that country were an example of Apple proactively heading off criticism about the iPhone’s lack of 3G wireless support.

The newspaper also cited Chris Fletcher, an analyst with AMR Research, who said, "They certainly have learned their lesson, and are being more proactive. Europe is going to be a much tougher market."

In comparison, Apple found itself in a reactive position when early adopters of the iPhone became angry after the price of the device was cut by US$200 after only a couple of months. The company immediately announced plans for a $100 gift card for those customers.

More recently, Apple reversed its decision to not open the iPhone to 3rd party developers outside of Web-based applications that could be accessed through Safari. As a developer community grew up around those willing to hack their iPhones, and after a software update bricked some phones that had been unlockned for use on other carriers, Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced plans for a developer SDK to be released in February.

While the article didn’t cite additional examples of the more proactive Apple in Europe, reporter Ben Charny wrote that the end result from these early experiences in the U.S. market quickly taught Apple to plan ahead as it faced what many consider to be a tougher European market.