For the original iPhone 2G, for the majority of those who paid $399 for an 8 GB model, the monthly plan for 450 minutes was US$39.99/mo for the voice service and $20/mo for the unlimited data plan That also included 200 text messages. The total outlay, not including taxes, has been: $59.99. Over 24 months, that's about US$1,476, including the $36 activation fee you paid.

For the iPhone 3G, on the same 450 minutes plan, the bundled price of voice and unlimited data rises to US$69.99. However to get those 200 text messages back will cost an extra $5/month. The total outlay is $74.99 over 24 months, or just under $1800.00.

AT&T Inc. will sell the new version of the iPhone without a service contract for $400 more than the price with a two-year plan, a break from the rules set when Apple Inc.'s popular touch-screen gadget debuted last year.

Two new models of iPhones go on sale July 11 for $199 and $299, depending on the amount of memory, with two-year AT&T contracts. The contract-free versions will cost $599 and $699 and will be sold sometime "in the future," AT&T said.

"How can I help you, and where would you like to go?"

In this simple greeting, there's a huge question: Are the greeting and the experience that follows marketing or service or both?

In the last couple of months, Apple has boosted the number of "concierges" who greet and direct shoppers as soon as they walk in the door of its retail stores. Apple has always had employees at the front, ready to help, but this time it is positioning an eager-to-please offensive line a few steps from the doorway....

What's going on here and what can we learn? First, it goes without saying that Apple is redefining and reshaping the retail experience via the company's growing roster of stand-alone stores. But there's something even bigger going on here, akin to how online show retailer Zappos.com is turning the traditional rules of e-commerce upside down.

.... The significant negative reaction to Rogers' new iPhone 3G voice and data plans last Friday was almost immediate, but we didn't quite expect that there would be a prolonged backlash. As it turns out, announcing the plans on a Friday may not have been the best idea, since folks had plenty of time to voice their displeasure on the Internet over the weekend. Now, Fortune's Apple 2.0 has news of an anti-Rogers petition that's circulating around the 'Net.

We touched on some of the frustrations last time around, but things basically boil down to the fact that Rogers is charging more and offering less than other carriers, particularly AT&T.

Original iPhone owners upgrading to an iPhone 3G can hand-down their old iPhone to a family member or friend with a few simple steps, the most complex of which entails a trek down to a local AT&T retail store to pick up a fresh SIM card.

One of Intel's top technologists revealed Monday that the chip giant will not win a spot on Apple's iconic iPhone anytime soon, even as he outlined Intel's plans to keep growing as it turns 40 on July 18....

Despite the setback, Intel has a plan to use its long history inside desktop computers to its advantage, even as the action shifts from the PC to wireless gizmos like Apple's iPhone or Research in Motion's BlackBerry line of smart phones.

A recent series of internal memos from AT&T to its Mobility staffers reveal a variety of preparatory measures ahead of next month's iPhone launch, including the deployment of an iPhone 3G unbricking tool, ongoing 3G network optimizations, regional advertising campaigns, and calls for part time crowd control, inventory runners, and floor coordinators.

Specifically, one memo issued late last week noted that all company owned retail stores would soon see their desktop systems updated with an icon (below) "for the iTunes utility that will be used for unbricking iPhone 3G devices during the activation process." Employees were asked not to use the partial iTunes software until launch day, but were told that they "WILL need this icon for iPhone 3G launch on July 11th!"

With AT&T increasing data costs while simultaneously cutting text messages from its iPhone 3G plans, individual iPhone users upgrading to the 3G model will find themselves paying between 12.5% and 25% more to maintain the same level of service while family plan subscribers will likely see their costs rise anywhere from 15% to 45%. Included are some charts observations to help explain why.

AT&T is attempting to alleviate some of the confusion surrounding the upgrade paths to iPhone 3G with a series of video guides focused on getting customers "iReady" before the 8:00 a.m. launch on July 11th. The three videos covered in this report are aimed at 1) existing AT&T iPhone customers moving to iPhone 3G, 2) non-iPhone AT&T customers moving to iPhone 3G, and 3) customers new to AT&T moving to iPhone 3G.

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