AT&T receives 1 million inquiries on Apple iPhone

[AppleInsider]

Cingular Wireless, the mobile unit of AT&T Inc., has received around a million requests from customers who wish to receive additional information on Apple Inc.'s upcoming iPhone handset when it becomes available.

Cingular, which is undergoing a re-branding to the AT&T name, has signed on with Apple to be the exclusive wireless carrier for the iPhone when it goes on sale later this June.

"One million people have asked us to call when this phone is available," AT&T Chief Operating Officer Randall Stephenson said during a keynote speech at the CTIA wireless technology conference.

Neither Cingular nor Apple have begun taking pre-orders for the touch-based handset, but Cingular has set up a section on its Web site inviting visitors to leave their e-mail addresses to receive information about the phone when it is released.

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

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[ecking]

Are all of those 1 million people aware of the price?

[iJay]

isn't that the amount of phones apple wants to sell? :dizzy:

mission acomplished...

[crees!]

Originally Posted by iJay

isn't that the amount of phones apple wants to sell? :dizzy:

mission acomplished...

I thought it was more like 12 million?

[Wil Maneker]

Originally Posted by crees!

I thought it was more like 12 million?

10 million through 2008.

So 18 months. It will become more achievable when (if) they release another phone within a year

[MoonShadow]

So what? I'm curious enough to want more info about it, but I won't buy one.

[iJay]

Originally Posted by Wil Maneker

10 million through 2008.

So 18 months. It will become more achievable when (if) they release another phone within a year

or when the prices go down.

so they already have about one million right for when it's released. then they just need to have good ads and prove that cingular (or AT&T) doesn't suck too much to get the other 9 million...

[Xian Zhu Xuande]

Originally Posted by iJay

so they already have about one million right for when it's released. then they just need to have good ads and prove that cingular (or AT&T) doesn't suck too much to get the other 9 million...

I wonder how many people who really want to get one, and have already researched the product, have bothered signing up on that list? Cingular isn’t going to offer much beyond basic release information, and people who go out of their way to research products like this before release are on top of it. I’m buying one, and I’ve never even considered signing up for their mailing list. If 1 million people have inquired, that seems quite impressive indeed, and would lend itself positively to the product’s future.

I’m most curious if Cingular will further subsidize the project, if Apple will drop the price a little more, and what, if anything, Cingular will do to accommodate customers who are locked into contracts with other carries to entice them over to their own service.

[Ireland]

Apple said they were aiming for 10 phones, not 10 million iPhones. I think we all know Apple's gonna bring out another non-Smartphone iPhone before summer 2008, possibly before the end of this year. They'll want to grab all the teens who want a cool phone and can't afford an iPhone too. As I said a few times before, if the iPhone was really cheap and didn't require a contract I'd get one but it isn't and it does - so all I'm looking for is a cool looking, music-playing cellphone from Apple. As music phones become ubiquitous in Europe all we really want to do here is send texts, make calls and listen to music in that order of importance, anything else is just a bonus.

[Louzer]

Originally Posted by AppleInsider

Cingular Wireless, the mobile unit of AT&T Inc., has received around a million requests from customers who wish to receive additional information on Apple Inc.'s upcoming iPhone handset when it becomes available....
"One million people have asked us to call when this phone is available," AT&T Chief Operating Officer Randall Stephenson said during a keynote speech at the CTIA wireless technology conference.

Big deal. If you go into a Cingular store and ask for information, they won't have any (since Apple isn't releasing any information, and they probably haven't settled on pricing models and other crap for the phone service itself). So people go "Hey, let me know when it does become available so then maybe you can tell me something about it".

But, really. $500-$600 for a phone? And one targeted mainly at the consumer segment? I think most will pass. Sure, they'll get the "If its Apple, I've got to buy it! I'm standing in line now!" people, but after that, its all about whether it fits the needs of the users.

[fraklinc]

man listen who the heck would want another phone, other than the iphone when it comes out, if you think $600 is alot just stop and think how much are they going to be on ebay with out a contract keep in mind apple has a very different consumer than MSFT and the prove that back 3 years ago when they sold ipod for $599 and they flew out of the shelves so stop it with the price already time will tell its does not matter that much when it comes to apple maybe thats there secret

[Louzer]

Originally Posted by Xian Zhu Xuande

I’m most curious if Cingular will further subsidize the project, if Apple will drop the price a little more, and what, if anything, Cingular will do to accommodate customers who are locked into contracts with other carries to entice them over to their own service.

Cingular won't be subsidizing the price (Apple won't let them, and since they're selling it together, if you will, Apple will insist on same pricing between cingular and apple's stores - plus, Apple doesn't like people to offer their products cheaply).

Apple may or may not drop the price, but I doubt it. If so, it'll be very little. They'll see it as a luxury product and want to keep the status symbol of it.

Cingular won't do anything to accomdate other's customers any more then they do now.
Why should they? They've already got you in there with the iPhone.

[nagromme]

Apple WILL drop the price, and/or up the specs (like storage GB and 3G support).

The will NOT do any of the above when the product first comes out Eventually it's inevitable though. (And I intend to wait and see--but it will KILL me to wait!)

[mmmdoughnuts]

Originally Posted by Ireland

Apple said they were aiming for 10 phones, not 10 million iPhones.

State your source. No one knows how many phones form factors there will be and Apple hasn't said anything about anything beyond the singular (meaning one and not cingular) phone that has been announced.

[david_oc]

Originally Posted by Ireland

Apple said they were aiming for 10 phones, not 10 million iPhones.

When did they say this?

At the keynote, Steve gave the target as an estimated 10% of the market - 10M units.

He also said they would keep developing the product with 3G etc.

Noone has heard of a second model of phone, let alone 9.

[EagerDragon]

Ill pass, im waiting for next revision on the phone, with more memory, 3G, less bugs, new apps, etc. No need to be a Beta tester at that price point.

Some people want a cheaper version with less capabilities, I want one with more, weird.

[the cool gut]

Originally Posted by david_oc

When did they say this?

At the keynote, Steve gave the target as an estimated 10% of the market - 10M units.

Actually, the target was 1% of the market, which is 10M units.

[MacCentric]

Originally Posted by the cool gut

Actually, the target was 1% of the market, which is 10M units.

For all you people complaining about the price, look at this info about a phone you might have heard about:

Originally Posted by Wikipedia

Motorola RAZR (pronounced "razor", IPA:/ɹeɪzə(ɹ)/) is a thin clamshell mobile/cellular camera phone designed and manufactured by Motorola. The phone was initially regarded as an exclusive fashion phone,[1] with a high price of $500 with service agreement and $800 without. However, in 2005 the phone entered the mass-market as a mid-priced phone.

I believe that the iPhone will be the next RAZR. Right now you can get one for free with a contract if you know where to look. Last summer I got one for $100 after rebate on a renewal. I believe the price will come down on the iPhone when they release next generation models, so that in a year or so the current iPhone will be very affordable, while a new version will take the high end of the market.

[mmmdoughnuts]

Originally Posted by MacCentric

Last summer I got one for $100 after rebate on a renewal.

This will never happen. When in the last 4-5 years has apple discounted a product before it announced the next latest and greatest. Apple always has planned obsolecence into their product. Even when my 4G iPod 'video' was capable of doing text searches, a feature on the 5G, did they add that feature? No, they make you buy the new one. Apple will continue to not add features to an old product JUST so you have to buy a new one at the FULL price.


On another note, hopefully iPhone is going to be another Platform like the Mac. Apple makes you buy a new OS to expand the capabilities of your old Mac. Lets hope that there is a minimal charge for the iPhone OS updates so when they add new features it is worth throwing some money at it rather than throwing away a $600 phone and a 2 year contract. I could see paying $50 to stay current maybe more, but not much.

[MacCentric]

Originally Posted by mmmdoughnuts

This will never happen. When in the last 4-5 years has apple discounted a product before it announced the next latest and greatest. Apple always has planned obsolecence into their product. Even when my 4G iPod 'video' was capable of doing text searches, a feature on the 5G, did they add that feature? No, they make you buy the new one. Apple will continue to not add features to an old product JUST so you have to buy a new one at the FULL price.


On another note, hopefully iPhone is going to be another Platform like the Mac. Apple makes you buy a new OS to expand the capabilities of your old Mac. Lets hope that there is a minimal charge for the iPhone OS updates so when they add new features it is worth throwing some money at it rather than throwing away a $600 phone and a 2 year contract. I could see paying $50 to stay current maybe more, but not much.

I never said they would add features to the current model, I said that they would come out with a new version with the new features and then reduce the price on the current model. The other thing they might do would be to offer a better model for the $500ish price point then make a new cheaper version for say the $250ish price point. Look at the iPod minis and nanos. They come out with better models for the high end and less featured models to capture the lower end of the market. Besides, I view a phone as a 'disposable' device anyway. I use my phone so much every day that just the wear and tear on the phone makes replacement necessary in 2 or 3 years, plus you get all the latest features by replacing, and with the carrier discounts, it is pretty affordable.

Mark my words, 2 years from now I will be able to get an Apple phone for less than $200 with a 2 year agreement.

[SpamSandwich]

Originally Posted by mmmdoughnuts

This will never happen. When in the last 4-5 years has apple discounted a product before it announced the next latest and greatest. Apple always has planned obsolecence into their product. Even when my 4G iPod 'video' was capable of doing text searches, a feature on the 5G, did they add that feature? No, they make you buy the new one. Apple will continue to not add features to an old product JUST so you have to buy a new one at the FULL price.


On another note, hopefully iPhone is going to be another Platform like the Mac. Apple makes you buy a new OS to expand the capabilities of your old Mac. Lets hope that there is a minimal charge for the iPhone OS updates so when they add new features it is worth throwing some money at it rather than throwing away a $600 phone and a 2 year contract. I could see paying $50 to stay current maybe more, but not much.

Apple is aware of the upper and lower limits in today's market for phones, and they are trying to the value perception for the latest iteration... the phone/computer.

[SpamSandwich]

Oh, and BTW, iTunes is not exactly the music store of choice it seems with at&t...

AT&T also announced a deal with Napster on Monday that, starting April 1, will allow subscribers to get unlimited access for one year to more than 3 million songs through the Napster music service. Customers will be able to transfer songs to compatible wireless phones and music devices.

[MacCentric]

Originally Posted by SpamSandwich

Oh, and BTW, iTunes is not exactly the music store of choice it seems with at&t...

AT&T also announced a deal with Napster on Monday that, starting April 1, will allow subscribers to get unlimited access for one year to more than 3 million songs through the Napster music service. Customers will be able to transfer songs to compatible wireless phones and music devices.

Interesting, but I'm pretty sure the iPhone will not be one of those "compatible wireless phones." Also Steve's powers of negotiation are not to be underestimated.

[Xian Zhu Xuande]

Originally Posted by Louzer

Cingular won't be subsidizing the price (Apple won't let them, and since they're selling it together, if you will, Apple will insist on same pricing between cingular and apple's stores - plus, Apple doesn't like people to offer their products cheaply).

Apple may or may not drop the price, but I doubt it. If so, it'll be very little. They'll see it as a luxury product and want to keep the status symbol of it.

Cingular won't do anything to accomdate other's customers any more then they do now.
Why should they? They've already got you in there with the iPhone.

This discussion is pure speculation, but hey, I’ll bite. If Cingular subsidizes the iPhone further (I imagine the price already announced includes some subsidization) there’s nothing stopping them from sharing that same subsidization with the Apple Stores. That Apple would be opposed to some subsidization, and that Apple feels it would cheapen the phone, those are both matters of opinion, not fact. I believe both views came from Daniel of Roughly Drafted. I agree that Apple would probably be opposed to full subsidization of the phone at this point—they do want it to be a special product, and they don’t need to compete in the free phone market any more than they need to compete in the junk PC market—but if dropping the price to $300/$400 or $400/$500 would be a smart sales move, there’d be no harm in doing so.

As for Cingluar accommodating customers, I was speaking of would-be Cingular customers. Verizon customers, Sprint customers. The iPhone is one of those rare products that can entice people to jump ship, even if they don’t like Cingular. Cingular would be wise to leverage this reality by possibly bringing more potential customers into contract with their company. They might do this by partially paying or fully handling things like early termination fees, or by offering extra subsidization to these potential customers.

[cnocbui]

Originally Posted by Ireland

Apple said they were aiming for 10 phones, not 10 million iPhones. I think we all know Apple's gonna bring out another non-Smartphone iPhone before summer 2008, possibly before the end of this year.

Speak for yourself! Where do you keep getting this top secret information from that only you seem to be privy to?

I don't think they are going to do any such thing. They spent what - a couple of years at least - developing this thing? Apple will want to recoup on their investment so undercutting sales of a high profit margin product by immediately introducing a cheapie low margin one would be such a smart move.

They are no more going to do what you suggest than Porsche is going to release a cheap reduced features 911 turbo.

How many YEARS was it between the introduction of the first iPod and the Shuffle?

They'll want to grab all the teens who want a cool phone and can't afford an iPhone too. As I said a few times before, if the iPhone was really cheap and didn't require a contract I'd get one but it isn't and it does - so all I'm looking for is a cool looking, music-playing cellphone from Apple. As music phones become ubiquitous in Europe all we really want to do here is send texts, make calls and listen to music in that order of importance, anything else is just a bonus.

I don't think Apple, Gulfstream, Porsche or Patek Phillipe have even the slightest of concerns for the unrealistic aspirations of impoverished teens - sorry. There are far too many millions of adults with considerable disposable incomes to go chase.

To set the record straight - there are a lot of us Europeans who have uses for mobile phones that go beyond just music, texting and chatting. The main group with such a narrow focus are -you guesed it -teens.

[mdriftmeyer]

Originally Posted by crees!

I thought it was more like 12 million?

10 million. Watch the keynote.

[cnocbui]

Originally Posted by Xian Zhu Xuande

I wonder how many people who really want to get one, and have already researched the product, have bothered signing up on that list? Cingular isn’t going to offer much beyond basic release information, and people who go out of their way to research products like this before release are on top of it. I’m buying one, and I’ve never even considered signing up for their mailing list. If 1 million people have inquired, that seems quite impressive indeed, and would lend itself positively to the product’s future.

I’m most curious if Cingular will further subsidize the project, if Apple will drop the price a little more, and what, if anything, Cingular will do to accommodate customers who are locked into contracts with other carries to entice them over to their own service.

I agree with you almost entirely.

That 1m have bothered to sign up just indicates the tip of iceberg of interest that must exist. It's like a petition - politicians know that for every person who can be bothered to sign a petition, another 50 probably feel the same way but couldn't be bothered to go to the trouble.

I also think that such a level of interest means Cingular may feel they do not have to do much enticing or facilitating.

There is a lot of interest on these forums in a cheaper iPhone - I fully sympathise and would absolutely love to be able to get one for $250. However, I don't think we are going to see that price level for a couple of years at least. Even then it will only be because of the introduction of new models with more features which will have taken over the high end pricing. But then we will all be wanting the new high end model and wishing it was $250...

[ecking]

Originally Posted by fraklinc

man listen who the heck would want another phone, other than the iphone when it comes out, if you think $600 is alot just stop and think how much are they going to be on ebay with out a contract keep in mind apple has a very different consumer than MSFT and the prove that back 3 years ago when they sold ipod for $599 and they flew out of the shelves so stop it with the price already time will tell its does not matter that much when it comes to apple maybe thats there secret

Yeah ipod sold well enough to keep making models but it didn't reach the type of market penetration it has now until prices started dropping. If that wasn't true when shuffles, nanos and 5.5g ipods wouldn't be as cheap as they currently are. If apple could do their usual 10m or something units a quarter by selling at 599, they would.

The iphone will sell very well relative to price and number of units available, but it won't become the next moto razr until the price drops or there are new models.

It's just way business works.

[Xian Zhu Xuande]

Originally Posted by cnocbui

I also think that such a level of interest means Cingular may feel they do not have to do much enticing or facilitating.

There is a lot of interest on these forums in a cheaper iPhone - I fully sympathise and would absolutely love to be able to get one for $250. However, I don't think we are going to see that price level for a couple of years at least. Even then it will only be because of the introduction of new models with more features which will have taken over the high end pricing. But then we will all be wanting the new high end model and wishing it was $250...

I suppose it is possible that Cingular might see significant pre-release interest and choose to do less to entice potential users, but at the same time I’d hate to underestimate the greed of these companies. If Cingular further subsidized the cost they would not make quite as much money off people who are already going to buy one, but they may entice many new users. If they bought people out of their contracts, they will get many people to come over to Cingular (possibly including some people who might not have normally bought an iPhone). I guess whether this is practical or not comes down to marketing research, and I’m sure Cingular is neck-deep in the stuff. I’m reminded of that ‘rumored’ Cingular price list from months back—it was speculated that it may have been released by CIngular to gauge the masses’ interest, but I’m skeptical at the same time—it didn’t look as professional as I might have expected.

If I guessed on the future of the iPhone’s price, I’d imagine it will drop down into the $250–$500 price range (a generous range on both ends), but I don’t think Apple will allow it to drop much more. They will instead focus on making sure the product remains a premium product by always expanding and enhancing its capabilities, like they do with the iPod. That doesn’t make sense from the perspective of the cell phone market, but the iPhone isn’t just a cell phone—it is a portable computer in ways, and it is also an iPod. With the right features, people will continue to buy and upgrade them, just as they do/did with their iPods. I doubt you will ever see a $79 iPhone with a 2yr activation agreement.

All theorizing, of course.

And further considering price, is good to remember that Apple probably has no interest in complying with the cell phone’s traditional way of doing things. They’re going to bring in their existing experience from other markets, and if something in the cell phone market seems broken to them, they’ll try to completely reinvent it. If anyone can do this, it is Apple. I think it will be fun to watch, because up until now, absolutely nothing in the cell phone industry has sparked much interest or respect in me.

[Ireland]

Originally Posted by cnocbui

I don't think they are going to do any such thing.

That's the beauty about the internet; we can all have an opinion. Now untangle that knicker twist.

[TBaggins]

Originally Posted by iJay

so they already have about one million right for when it's released. then they just need to have good ads and prove that cingular (or AT&T) doesn't suck too much to get the other 9 million...

Apple won't get to its goal of 10 million iPhones sold by US sales alone. It'll be the European and Asian releases of the iPhone playing a major role as well.


.

[anantksundaram]

Originally Posted by mdriftmeyer

10 million. Watch the keynote.

Really?

Not 12, not 10...... at exactly 1% of the global market share, Steve surely meant 9.892356 million?

[cnocbui]

Originally Posted by Xian Zhu Xuande

but the iPhone isn’t just a cell phone—it is a portable computer in ways, and it is also an iPod.

I once again concur.

I think the computer angle has been overlooked and underestimated to a significant extent. There have been many arguments that the price is too high given the apparent lack of 'smart phone' features and applications.

I think we should be thinking of it as not just a phone but a platform. look at the demonstration of coverflow - for a phone that looks to be some fairly serious processing/graphics going on. Surely it is not there just to be used for fluff.

I strongly suspect there will be some surprise sweeteners when it is actually released. Some of these are likely to be applications.

The feature which most grabbed me was the browser combined with WiFi capability. These make it seriously useful for people who do much travelling given the growing ubiquity of hot spots in airports and the like.

The ability to access the web in a meaningfully useful way on this device is its main attraction for me. I recently was on holiday and the apartment I was staying in had a wireless network so I went to the trouble of lugging a Powerbook along. It was very useful to have but a pain to bring. If I had had an iPhone I could have left the Powerbook at home. I wonder if you can upload pictures taken with the camera to say flicker, using the browser?

[Xian Zhu Xuande]

Originally Posted by cnocbui

The ability to access the web in a meaningfully useful way on this device is its main attraction for me. I recently was on holiday and the apartment I was staying in had a wireless network so I went to the trouble of lugging a Powerbook along. It was very useful to have but a pain to bring. If I had had an iPhone I could have left the Powerbook at home. I wonder if you can upload pictures taken with the camera to say flicker, using the browser?

That’s a good question. I suppose it would depend on how Safari handles the upload control. In OS X it takes you to the Finder, and you select a file. I imagine the iPhone will take you straight to some sort of media folder where you can pick between music, pictures, or whatever else comes to mind. If this is the case—and I see no reason why it wouldn’t be—you should be able to upload photographs to Flickr. The only remaining trick is getting your photographs from your camera onto the iPhone. Maybe there’ll be a USB to Bluetooth adapter for it, or some other sort of device? They’ve got something similar for the iPod (which simply uses the dock connector) so I suppose it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch.

What I’m really hoping for is for the iPhone to be managed like a computer. Rather than toss the machine out with set firmware, never really update it and focus on future devices, Apple has an option to completely break this mold. They can treat the iPhone like OS X and allow software updates (OS Updates!) along with application downloads, game downloads, and much, much more. They’ve got the potential to take the iPhone to a whole new level—to a level rarely ever discussed online. Knowing Apple, they’ll do something.

[Eduardo]

Originally Posted by iJay

isn't that the amount of phones apple wants to sell? :dizzy:

mission acomplished...

Dude, chill.

That does not mean people will buy the phone; they just signed up to receive more information.

Look at me, I signed up to receive info on Microsoft's Zune prior to its formal introduction ( ).

I didn't buy it.

[Louzer]

Originally Posted by Xian Zhu Xuande

If Cingular subsidizes the iPhone further (I imagine the price already announced includes some subsidization) there’s nothing stopping them from sharing that same subsidization with the Apple Stores. That Apple would be opposed to some subsidization, and that Apple feels it would cheapen the phone, those are both matters of opinion, not fact.

It may be opinion, but its opinion based on everything Apple has done in the past. Apple does NOT significantly reduce the price of its products, they add features. But, beyond that, for what reason would Cingular subsidize the phone anymore? If its in such high demand, there's no reason to reduce pricing further.

As for Cingluar accommodating customers, I was speaking of would-be Cingular customers. Verizon customers, Sprint customers. The iPhone is one of those rare products that can entice people to jump ship, even if they don’t like Cingular. Cingular would be wise to leverage this reality by possibly bringing more potential customers into contract with their company. They might do this by partially paying or fully handling things like early termination fees, or by offering extra subsidization to these potential customers.

BUt, again, the whole thing isthat it IS one of those rare products (for no real reason except Apple fas just suck up anything Jobs releases). People are switching now in anticipation of the iPhone. If they were trying to get you to switch for just another phone, then, sure, you would need more enticement. But the phone is the enticement. Hell, the way people fawn over this device, I wouldn't be surprised to see the plan pricing higher then with other phones, just because people will pay.

[Louzer]

Originally Posted by Xian Zhu Xuande

That’s a good question. I suppose it would depend on how Safari handles the upload control. In OS X it takes you to the Finder, and you select a file. I imagine the iPhone will take you straight to some sort of media folder where you can pick between music, pictures, or whatever else comes to mind. If this is the case—and I see no reason why it wouldn’t be—you should be able to upload photographs to Flickr. The only remaining trick is getting your photographs from your camera onto the iPhone. Maybe there’ll be a USB to Bluetooth adapter for it, or some other sort of device? They’ve got something similar for the iPod (which simply uses the dock connector) so I suppose it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch.

Umm, the iPhone has a camera. What happens to those pictures.

And your comments show one of the biggest issues for me with the iPhone. The questions. Apple touts this so-called grand phone/internet communicator/ipod, yet the details of what you can't and can do, completely unknown.

BTW, you don't need bluetooth, you have the dock connector. Pictures and music will sync to and from the phone, which should include pictures taken on the phone.

I don't see you being able to upload/download anything via safari. They want to have a locked-down appliance.

What I’m really hoping for is for the iPhone to be managed like a computer. Rather than toss the machine out with set firmware, never really update it and focus on future devices, Apple has an option to completely break this mold. They can treat the iPhone like OS X and allow software updates (OS Updates!) along with application downloads, game downloads, and much, much more. They’ve got the potential to take the iPhone to a whole new level—to a level rarely ever discussed online. Knowing Apple, they’ll do something.

Knowing apple, they won't do something. They don't offer updates to ipods unless it meets their needs (adding support for some new feature from the itms). And most smartphones have all these features already. And they allow other apps too, not just ones the phone maker 'approves'.

[Flounder]

Originally Posted by Louzer

It may be opinion, but its opinion based on everything Apple has done in the past. Apple does NOT significantly reduce the price of its products, they add features. But, beyond that, for what reason would Cingular subsidize the phone anymore? If its in such high demand, there's no reason to reduce pricing further.

That is generally true, but the most similar device from Apple, the iPod, did steadily come down in price (and now looks to have leveled out).

[Hobbes]

Originally Posted by MacCentric

I believe that the iPhone will be the next RAZR.

I hope not.

While I'm sure the iPhone will *eventually* come down in price, at least by $100 or so, Apple is much too smart to discount the iPhone so quickly.

[psilopsyche]

I'm one of the aforementioned million, and I've lost interest in the iPhone. If it was released when the anoouncement came out I would have gladly wasted $400 in it, but now that I have my wits about me I realize that I don't need a $400 phone. I'd be happy with a FREE phone that sends and receives phone calls and text messages. If I drove a new BMW, had a degree, and had a house, sure, maybe I'd splurge, but you can count me out.