While potential users have waited, breathless, for the release of the new iPhone from Apple, what they got, for the most part, was dead air. Apple's iTunes servers crashed just as people lined up for blocks around the world to take their very own bit of third-generation technology home.

Today's release in 21 countries was announced a month ago, causing a flurry from people who'd bought the previous iPhone when they learned that the new phone, using superior and speedier 3G tech, would actually cost $200 less, or $199. Where the discussion went next was the cost of using the device. Like the previous incarnation, the new iPhone had to be served through AT&T.

The AT&T press release says: "*With a two-year contract, the price of an 8GB iPhone 3G will be $199; the 16GB model will be priced at $299. Unlimited iPhone 3G data plans for consumers will be available for $30 a month, in addition to voice plans starting at $39.99 a month.Unlimited 3G data plans for business users will be available for $45 a month, in addition to a voice plan."

(Users can get the phone without an AT&T contract, but at a much higher cost.)

So iPhone users are paying --at the basic rate--$69.99 a month to use the new technology, $10 more per month than the last version. That gets you 450 minutes, and unlimited data.


Alternative calling plans get you 900 minutes, and unlimited data for $89.99, $109.99 for 1350 minutes, unlimited data, and
$129.99 -for unlimited minutes and data. And you haven't even got to text messaging yet--that's an extra $20 a month, if you want unlimited messaging.


So as they pointed out in the SciTech blog at CNN, "After two years, you will have spent $1838.76 on the slower, more expensive iPhone with the cheaper plan — and $1878.76 on the cheaper, faster iPhone with the more expensive plan. At the end of the day, the iPhone 3G is actually $40 more expensive." Here is a video presentation with thumbs up and thumbs down from the Wall Street Journal's Walt Mossberg, that pretty fairly covers the subject.

Well, at the end of this day, the crunch had eased, and many consumers were able to get their iPhones up and running, if not at the point of sale, at home on their own computers. Most reports spoke of the dedication of the Apple and AT&T employees, who would work for hours one on one with customers, trying to get their iPhones activated, even dealing with them on the phone from home. Not on their iPhone, of course.
 
For more information and step-by-step, what you need to know, check out this advice from MacWorld.