Thanks!

Here's one:

Will a new iPhone 3G buyer be forced to subscribe to the 3G plan even if 3G service is not available in his area and does not appear to be anywhere on the horizon for said user's area?

If so, this is a rip off and amounts to nothing less than a $10 monthly tax on having a newer iPhone. If my soon-to-be-purchased iPhone 3G only runs on the EDGE network, since 3G does not exist here, why should I pay for service that does not exist?

I'll ask this again: What about corporate employee discounts for those of us fortunate enough to have them available?

The plan with the old iPhone was ineligible for those discounts, but since the new iPhone is subsidized, shouldn't discounts be treated the same way they are for other subsidized phones, i.e. actually honored?

AMEN to bak's comments about switching to at&t before this news release - I was told the exact same thing. Switched from Verizon for 5 years to at&t to port my number over and get ready for the iPhone. I called customers service and sales rep from local store - same standard line... we're sorry you were given mis-information. Makes me very, very, very frustrated because I was lied to. The point of calling customer service or sales rep is to get the facts. What's a shame is there is no one else to talk to above customer service about this - and they are the ones giving out bad information.

Thats not the point. The point is I was lied to and tricked into signing a 2 year contract and now they want to screw me out of another $200 dollars!

Ronald and other's interested on my thoughts around the "great new pricing" on the 3G...
I am on Verizon and have been anxiously looking forward to the 3G release as most of you... yeah, the $599 was cost - prohibitive, but would have bit the bullet if there were more features last year... So, Steve's announcement of a "reduced" and AFFORDABLE 3G iPhone was initially exciting and appealing... but after my recent conversation with ATT sales representative yesterday, I am not so sure we shouldn't be looking this gift horse in the mouth...
First, I am looking at the 16Gig iPhone... so there is $299.99... and I am ok with that.. but then, I learned the following from AT&T two days ago:

• that because ATT is SUBSIDIZING the cost of the iPHONE, they are charging an additional $10 to last years $20/month unlimited data plan (which is mandatory in activating the new 3G for a TWO YR CONTRACT (to recoup their investment...
• Interestingly, I was informed that I would be better-off buying a BlackBerry, TILT, or another phone with a DATA PLAN since I could start and stop usage charges on a monthly basis if desired, whereas it is MANDATORY for iPhone users to sign a 2-yr contract for the data plan
• they have also DROPPED the previously included 200-txt msg's which was included in the original unlimited data plan at no additional charge... now adding a $5 per month charge.
• GPS capabilities on the 3G... that's cool... but there is a $10 per month charge for using it... the sales rep wasn't sure if AT&T was making that a MANDATORY 2-yr contract to buy the iPhone?

With that being said, lets do the math... so if I was going to pay full price on the LESS AFFORDABLE iPhone, based on last yr's prices, I would be sitting at $499 for the 16Gig iPhone. Then there was the $20/mo contracted unlimited data plan for two yr's at $240 ($20 x 24 months = $240) with 200 txt msg's., bringing me to $739 total ($499 + $240).... right!!
With Steve's new AFFORDABLE 16G iPhone, I start at $299 plus the new MANDATORY Data Plan of $30/mo plus $5 for 200-min of txt capabilities ($35 x 24 months = $840), coming to a total of $1,139 ($299 + $840).
So let's see... what was considered UNAFFORDABLE last year at $739 (not including taxes and activation fee's) for a
two-yr contract with AT&T... is now MUCH MORE AFFORDABLE in Steve's eye's with a 3G two-yr. contract with AT&T costing me $1.139 ?? This sounds more like a government accounting system... of Pork spending... shell-game, or a bait-n-switch tactic in making us think we are getting a tax-break on the front-end, when in fact it is costing us more on the back end.
Guess I should be thanking Steve for this new AFFORDABLE 3G iPhone, while AT&T subsidizes his "losses" on the back end
As for AT&T.. guess I should be thanking them for not taking-away the "roll-over" minutes each month for using the iPhone and for considering us unique and functionally astute wireless user's by locking-us into mandatory data charges for two-yr's without a choice of on and off monthly usage charges as other unlimited wireless users of the BlackBerry and TILT who don't require 24/7/365 days a yr use of the internet.
DO THE MATH PEOPLE... Where did Steve or AT&T do us a favor by making the 3G more AFFORDABLE? Thank goodness, we still have the choice to make INTELLIGENT decisions, unlike those who weren't capable of doing the math in over-extending themselves in this mortgage and housing fiasco

bottom line is you may have to start out with AT&T, whether for a yr or less until you "unlock" your iPhone in finding another carrier. The kicker will be the data plan with the other carrier... how much per month?
With AT&T, they have increased their unlimited data plan to subsidize Steve's "affordable" 3G... their plan has jumped $15 more per month, going from last years $20 to now $35... for a yr that comes to $420 or if you were to stay on for 24 months, $840. By the way, AT&T eliminated their 200-min of txt msg'g as part of last yr's $20.month charge. You are now paying an additional $5/month. So, $400 for your 3G plus either $420 or $840 for unlimited data access for 12-months or 24 months, bringing your cost to $820 for the first yr or $1,640 for 24-months on AT&T unless you know of a wireless provider with a lower monthly data plan... ? Which of course you must know of, otherwise you wouldn't consider shelling out $400 for the 3G?

So if you end up paying $400 for your new 3G so you are not locked-into AT&T, you may still find yourself on an unlimited data plan of an additional $20 - $40 per month, on top of your voice plan to use their service? So let's do the math... $400 before taxes and activation fees to join a new carrier, then lets go low end of a $30/mo data plan for a year (12 x $30 = $360), plus the $400 for the phone, which comes to $760 for the first year (I am assuming you are considering on buying the 8Gig 3G?) I am hearing higher price for such a 16Gig purchase... good luck!