Cost Breakdown

Done for me by Allen Sterns at Centernetworks

So let's take a look at the math.

• $640 Phone - $599 plus tax (~8%)
• $60/mo Voice Plan - cheapest plan with unlimited nights and weekends
• $40/mo Media Max 3000 Bundle - includes 3000 texts and unlimited MediaNet which I assume will work as the browse function on the iPhone
• $8/mo Fees - lovely fees

The total cost: Over a year, that's a grand total of $1,936. For that, you get 900 minutes of talk time a month, and 3,000 SMS text messages according to Stern. Also remember that you have to sign a two-year contract with ATT/Cingular.

His comparison of what that money buys you is illuminating:

* 387 Starbucks grande drinks
* 2,129 McDonalds hamburgers
* 968 rides on the NYC Subway
* A round-trip ticket to Japan from the USA
* A new LCD 42" TV with enough money left over to buy all 5 seasons of 24 on DVD
* A Mac Powerbook

And none of this includes insurance so when you sit on your iPhone and break it, you don't have to shell out another $500 for a new one.

A recent post had an interesting prediction about the future price of the iPhone:

Will the $599 price drop quick? Yep. My bet is that by the holiday shopping period, it will be down to $299.

My decision: Come June 29, I will likely wait and see what happens.

hot iPhone tip, baby

Arianna Huffington (I think I have a crush on her voice). Talked with Apple's Steve Jobs about the iPhone and said something for those who are preparing to buy their new phone. Post on Huffington Post

Talking to Steve Jobs after his speech, I got a hot tip on how to be one of the first people to score a new iPhone when they go on sale in June. "Don't go to an Apple store," Jobs told me. "It will be a madhouse there. People will be lined up around the block, sleeping on the sidewalk to get one. Go to an AT&T/Cingular store. Most people don't know that they will be selling them too." Uh, they do now, Steve.

Good tip. We will do the price point for the phone, service, and insurance later. Oh yeah, you are going to want insurance because it would be horrible to drop for cell phone down the toilet. Literally, $600 down the toilet.