@Neil Alexander
"The moment that operators realise that people are using this very expensive (and therefore, heavily subsidized) tool to make calls over their data network for what is more likely less expensive than their own network, or even free, then suddenly there is nothing in it for the operator and they'll stop carrying the handset. That'd be the end of Apple iPhone, in Steve Jobs' eyes."
Talk about getting your wires crossed. It's because Apple HAVEN'T subsidised the phone that it's EXPENSIVE. Duh!
I'm sure Apple loves the extra income that the Network subscription provides, but if you told Steve Jobs he could sell 10 million new Macs in 1 year, to many current non-Mac using customers, back in 1976, don't you think he would have chewed your arm off?
And if you think of the major gripes (no 3G, no user installable software (inc VoIP), locked to single carrier and limited capacity) - many of those, it seems, may be disappearing over the next few months - and then what will we all have to gripe about I wonder? :)
The iPhone is, like it or not, an amazing product, and you gotta think that with a few tweaks it's gonna be very, very hard to compete with.
Whether that's good or not, well, we only have Nokia, Sony etc... to blame. What have they been doing all these years...