iPhone 3G: The Earth Stands Still … Again

When it comes to hyping an honest-to-goodness fabulous new product, no one is better than Apple. The company’s newest iPhone - the iPhone 3G - is being released this Friday, and people are already camping out at Apple stores to be first in line to buy one. While the iPhone 3G is front-page news, more details are coming out about the cost of the faster 3G service … that is, if it is available where you live.

Here’s the story - the price of the entry level iPhone 3G is $200, one-half the price of the original iPhone that debuted a year ago. Why the lower price? Because AT&T Wireless, the service provider in the U.S. is subsidizing each iPhone. But you, the user, will ultimately pay the difference, and then some.

For the iPhone 3G, the data plan costs $10 more each month than the data plan for the original iPhone, and that does not include any text messages.  Texting will cost another $5 a month. My six-month-old iPhone has 200 text messages included. So, right off the bat, you will be paying an additional $360 for the joy of playing with an iPhone 3G over the term of a 24 month AT&T contract.  

But then, is it worth it?  Absolutely if you are someone who needs to stay connected and informed.