In your exped to Greg, you are not properly seeing his comparison. He is trying to compare the AT&T plan that is closest to the plan you can get in the UK, which is not necessarily the cheapest plan. The AT&T plan that can be best compared to the plan in the UK is the $79 plan since it has the closest number of minutes and SMS. Point being: to get what you can get in the UK, you have to pay more than the $39 in the base plan.

But, there are still no prices from Optimus or Vodafone yet.

The tariff being compared actually includes 1200 minutes to any UK network, 500 outgoing SMS (we never pay for incoming ones), unlimited data on 3G or 2G and subscriptions for 2 different Wi-fi hotspot networks, one of which has blanket coverage in a number of city centres. This is for £45 (including VAT etc) a month or around $90. Free 8GB/£59 ($120) 16GB. 18 Month commitment.

Closest comparison I can find on AT&T website is 1350 minutes (more) plus 200 SMS (less) plus data plan =$79.99 + $5 + $30 = $114.99 (plus tax presumably) or around £57 a month for 24 mths instead of 18. And you are paying $200 more for the phone.

This is so surprising considering how competitive pricing normally is in the US. Perhaps really big business like AT&T have just got you where they want you?

ex ped: I think you may be mistaken about the comparison. The cheapest AT&T phone plan, I am told, is $39, not $79. I had already added in the $30 data plan to get the $69 monthly nut I used in the chart.

i'll tell u what we pai and what we get for it.

sorry for not writing in $… i think u can calculate for you own

all on 8 gig 3g iphone, all tarif inc Weekendflat for phoning to non mobil phones, and a Hotspot Flat

170€ iPhone + 29€ month + 50 min + 500 MB

60€ iPhone + 49€ month + 100 min + 40 Text (SMS) + Internet flat (but over 300 MB/month downgraded to 64k)

1€ iphon + 69€ month + 200 min + 150 SMS + internet Flat (but over 1 GB/month downgraded to 64k)

1€ iPhone + 89€ month + 1000 min + 300 SMS + internet Flat (but over 3 GB/month downgraded to 64k)

All prices include all kind of taxes etc.

hope i could help out about German Prices,

Cu Benny

People, has anyone looked at ATT's plans lately? The $30 for unlimited internet/email is the same across the board!!! No matter whether you have the iPhone, the Tilt, or a crappy ol' one… It's $30!!!

AND, it doesn't include any text messages!!!

With that being said, there are times throughout the year when ATT runs promotions (think Christmas), where you can take advantage of a new plan, or a limited availability plan (expires after 1-2 years) where you get more as a bundle.

Personally I pay $30 for unlimited internet and 1500 SMS/MMS. Once again… promotion!!!

But without a promotion, it doesn't matter what phone you have… you'll have to pay the same amount. So I really don't see what the big deal is.

One more thing… if you can't afford the monthly plan, don't get the phone. It's akin to people buying a luxury automobile but then bitching they can't afford the insurance and gas on it!

"Corporate feudalism". BULLSEYE! Now we need to break the back of Washington lobbyists, kick out the enablers of corporate feudalism, and put some consumer protection clauses in there to accompany the licensing.

Will this create a "big chill" on investment? IMHO, no; business will settle for half a loaf, provided you show you can't be stampeded into giving them the whole loaf.

The iPhone is succeeding in putting a spotlight on the difference between the technology developers and the airwave "owners". Pretty soon, people will figure out that THEY ultimately own those airwaves, and that THEY ultimately can force the politicians to demand fair play.

Good heavens! An enlightened populace! Who knows where that might eventually take us?

It isn't. Airtime is airtime is airtime. Large corporations buy the right to hand it out from the government, and then they set the price for common people.

So to say that these figures reflect increased prices for the phone is idiotic. Clearly the brokers of airtime are subsidising the phone in order to sell their airtime at a higher rate.

Incidentally, there is a word for the government selling rights to a strategic resource and then allowing the owner to fleece the commoners. "Tax farming". It was fairly common in france, just prior to the french revolution. The basic idea is that the user pays for all services, AND they also pay tax. AND they get shafted by monopolies set up by their glorious representatives. Corporate feudalism, folks.

It has nothing to do with what Apple is selling.