Of course the early adopters were ticked at the price drop.

So?

I'm still working on a unified theory of why anyone would buy an iPhone in the first place. I mean, it's got a cell phone in it (even if it is kind of an afterthought), and who wants that? ;-)

Now, those new iPod oneupmans, or whatever they're called... those things look cool.

I want one of the iPod oneupmans. I'd be happy with even the little 4Gig version.

It seems as though they'll first be available on my birthday. ...for those of you who look for "coincidences" like that to act upon.

Whether moved by ethics or business savvy, seems like a good move.

Have any of the above commentors who say the phone part of the iPhone is an afterthought actually used one?

I haven't. While I have read critical reviews of the touch keyboard I don't recall seeing anything negative about the phone functionality.

The new iPod is cool, but it only has WiFi, right? One of the attractions of the iPhone for me would be using cell service to have internet connectivity at nearly any location - regardless of whether a WiFi hotspot was available or not.

If business is going good, I might pick up an iPhone once the 2nd generation comes around.

Justin, most of the criticism I've seen of the phone's functionality relates to AT&T's lame data service. I don't keep up with such things but apparently there's faster technology available (EDGE? GSM? I can't recall) and the hope is that AT&T will adopt it for Gen2.

The new iPod is cool, but it only has WiFi, right?

Yeah, otherwise it would be, you know, an iPhone. ;-)

Personally, I'd take an iPod with wifi any day over an iPhone. I'm counting on Brian and Jim to pool their resources to make it happen.

I wasn't crying. I knew the price would come down when I bought it. It was worth $600 then, and it is still worth $600 -- you just don't have to pay that much.

(I will cash in my $100 credit, though. prob on a bluetooth thingie.)

I'm sure you'll be able to spend your $100 at the iTunes music store so you can fill the 8 gig and want the 16 gig that they will have for $599 by Christmas ... lol
When I bought my new iMac I knew new ones were somewheres on the horizon and of course they came out 1 month and few days after I bought mine, after the return period. I don't regret buying mine when I did after all I did get the use of it for that time. As with any technology buy the best you can afford at the time and enjoy it, cause its going to be out of date in 5 mins anyway.

Eric, re: "being tempted to call for the waahm-bulance for these crybaby early adopters who knew very well that they were paying a premium to be the cool kidz on the block" ..... amen, brother.

Phelps, it's people like you who are the happiest with Apple's announcements. You were realistic about the initial purchase, and now you've had an early Christmas present dropped in your lap. ;-)

It would be interesting to see a profile of those initial purchasers who choose NOT to cash in the $100 credit (if there are any).

Bleu, I didn't consider the possibility of the credits extending to the iTunes Store. Jobs's letter didn't include iTunes, but that doesn't mean the final policy won't.

@Justin...

I haven't tried an iPhone but the reason for my comment has nothing to do with its functionality as a phone. It has much more to do with my general distaste for cell phones. They may be a necessary evil these days, but that's how I see them; the less I have to spend on one the better.

With all the functionality apple built in to the iphone, can the presence of the ability to use it as a phone be anything but an afterthought? Most of the online reviewers did point that out, and the three or four I've seen in use in the wild were not being used as a phone at the time (I find it interesting that though I see at least ten people per day using a cell phone, I've never seen someone actually talking on an iPhone).

The Wifi capable iPod touch, however, is quite cool. I'm just sad that I bought my first nano only a month and half ago, now I don't have any money to spend (Steve J are you listening?) on one an iTouch... to give to Eric, of course.

Pretty sure I'll be getting Dede an iPod Touch for her b-day. She's been oogling the iPhone for months...

On a side note, I'm with George on the cellphone thing - too many people have lost all perception of "need" and common-sense with those things. And since mom's never more than a button-press away, I'm concerned that they're replacing the ability for children to think ahead...

I would like an iPDA, with WiFi.

Apple was smart to offer the $100 voucher. It soothes the bitterness quick, and will probably increase revenue for Apple in the long run.