iPhone: it isn't the price I'm worried about

so? since its manufactured by apple, would it be charged through a pc????? hopefully not, and att should find a separately and less expensive plan for this phone, I say it'll be best atleast 50 dollars, I mean the phone itself its expensive, and then keep paying a little more than half a hundred dollars????

i feel sorry for all the parents. this is going to be a huge expense. anyway- i was wishing for a great deal on the phone with two year contract. keep my cheepo phone and sell the iphone on ebay and make some dough. to bad for me- 500 bucks for that phone with no incentive? come on.

i used to work for apple... as of last month. last i heard, there was an "iPhone specific" plan coming out that isn't comparable to any of the existing monthly plans out now.

Look at Helio, which has the upcoming Ocean thats similar if not more features than the iPhone, they offer 500 minutes with unlimited text and data along with other stuff like google maps WITH GPS all for $65 a month. I really only would use the text and IM and maybe google maps and talk less than 500 minutes so its fine. But none of it really compares to MetroPCS with unlimited everything and I pay $50 a month but no hope for a smartphone. I will still switch to cingular just for the iPhone and hopefully just pay the $39 for 500minutes and try to find wifi spots for everything else. The big thing is Apple opening development for the iPhone (skype via wifi for free)!

Yeah. RIGHT.

Because Steve Jobs of Apple (Revenue, 2006, $19.6 billion) can FORCE AT&T (Revenue, 2006, $63.5 billion) to do something.

Mark my words. The Iphone is going to run around $75 to $120 a month, depending on your minutes. There might be some higher end bundling, but they're getting you to pay $600 for a phone.. you've got the money to pay $80 for the service.

My guess is that Steve will work with (force) Cingular/ATT to offer some decent plans (data, SMS, minutes) that are probably better priced than what is now offered.

What I've been told by many different Cingular reps -- the data plans are priced based on expected use for each device (in reality -- how much data really is expected for the "unlimited" plans). So, on devices that have small screens and no QWERTY keyboards, the data plans are cheaper as they don't expect you'll practically be able to use much of your data plan. But, when a QWERTY style keyboard or larger screen is in play, the data plans are far more expensive. Usually double. I had an Audiovox 5600 smartphone from Cingular with the MediaNET plan @ $20. However, if I were to step to the Treo 750, which is still Windows mobile, it's $39.99 a month for unlimited data.

If you'd plunk down $500 for an iPhone, then you're either rich and stupid or just stupid.

The smartphone plan you talked about, in only for phones like the Blackjack or the 3125, not, I am guessing the iPhone. The 8525 is the closest thing Cingular has to the iPhone and that requires a PDA plan, you can't activate it with a smartphone plan. That is atleast $80, and 450 minutes is only 20 minutes a day (22 non weekend days a month), that isn't alot.

You can get any phone unlocked, it is illegal for them to grant that request, but you do need to jump through hoops. You need to prove you own the phone, then they have a form to fill out, and wait about 2 weeks for them to get the subisidy code. Also that won't do people too much good since you will still need to pay the early termination fee of $200. Also the only major company you could take it to in the US is t-Mobile although in Europe it would work.

My suspicion , having been a Cingular customer, is that you will be paying between $75 and $120 a month for their service.

I bet they would require an unlimited High Tier Data Plan, which is around $60, plus your minutes. I would also imagine that your rollover would use data minutes.