iPhone 3G – faster, but not exactly cheaper

The new iPhone, aka iPhone 3G, was finally announced this week. Yay! But is it really cheaper? No. Booo! Last year, at its June launch, the 8GB had cost $599. This year, on July 11, the new 8GB version will cost $199. (Note: there is also a 16GB version for $299) Sure, the iPhone will cost less to buy, but remember… AT&T is supplementing the cost, to reel you into a two-year contract with their plan. For the 1^st generation iPhone, AT&T monthly plan was $59.99. But now, for the new iPhone, it will cost an extra $10 per month to be $69.99. Granted, the phone has faster wireless connectivity on the 3G networks. But you might want to check if this toy can fit in your budget, because it will actually cost you $1880 over two years. That is, $199 for the 8GB iPhone + $1680 for the entire life of the AT&T voice and data plan. So the iPhone is not exactly cheaper as Steve Jobs states.