$2000 iPhone (was Re: iPhone Rate Plans are up)

[steve harley]

they whom i call LuKreme wrote:
> Well, obviously there is some confusion.  Is the average 477 or nearly 
> 600 or less than 500?  

heh, no, there is just variation in what the studies come up 
with, because each is imperfect and/or uses different methods; i 
intentionally did not provide citations because the point is not 
to be precise, just to show that 450 is in the mainstream

> Even so, 477 minutes on a 450 minute plan means 
> another $10 a month in overage charges.

perhaps on Jugular ... it would be $5 on my Sprint plan, which 
would be a much better deal than the next plan step up even if i 
went over by 30 minutes every month; but the point again is 
simply that there is a large user base -- maybe 30-40%? -- for 
whom 450 minutes would be more than adequate

so for that group of just below average mobile phoners, the voice 
time on the bottom plan is not a dealbreaker with the iPhone; 
personally, it's aspects that keep me a few steps away from 
getting any kind of internet mobile phone; maybe i'd be a 
half-step closer if the iPhone could stream internet radio with 
TiVo-realtime-style  controls (not necessarily long-term capture) 
-- i spend more than 450 minutes a month listening to KGNU; and 
in the time it takes me to want/need a data phone enough, a lot 
will change; the iPhone price may drop, and the feature set may 
improve, but also Sprint will roll out WiMax in Denver, etc. and 
other competitive factors will play out