The iPhone 3G will be released on July 11, 2008, available in the United States exclusively on AT&T Mobility with a two year contract.The 8 GB iPhone 3G will cost US$199 and the 16 GB iPhone 3G will cost US$299, a price drop of US$200 each. However, the consumer data plan will cost US$30 per month, a price increase of US$10. [1] In an interview with Om Malik, AT&T Mobility President and Chief Executive Officer Ralph de la Vega stated that "The SMS messages are not bundled anymore, and you pay for what you want." [2] The voice plan for the first generation iPhone included 200 text messages. AT&T currently charges US$5 per month for 200 text messages. [3] Several sources, including CNet, [4] Engadget, [5] Gizmodo, [6] MacWorld, [7] Time, [8] and Yahoo!, [9] have pointed out that this would be an increase of US$240 to US$360 over the span of the two year contract, which is greater than the US$200 price discount. [10] [11]
On July 1 2008, It was announced that current AT&T customers that are not eligible for upgrade to the 3G iPhone could purchase the device for only US$200 more of the price for either model version (US$399 for 8 GB, US$499 for 16 GB). They will simply add another two years to your contract. AT&T also released that they will sell the 3G iPhone in the United States without a contract, costing the public US$599 for the 8 GB and US$699 for the 16 GB. [12] Apple has not released statements about this move.