On par with the fair comment that people who are upset shouldn't be called names like "whiners" or "crybabies," I think that we also have to tone down on the hyperbole like "screwed" and "backhanded" and "betrayed." The worst you can say about Apple is that their decision to drop the price on the iPhone yesterday was inconsiderate to people who bought it for the higher price, leastwise to those who are ineligible for any kind of refund. But it was done without the intention of "screwing" anybody -- it is done to sell more phones and to put its pricing on a similar level to the iPod Touch. It's a business decision. You may or may not feel that this decision is fair to early adopters, but if this is all it takes to make a person "outraged," then I might recommend a re-evaluation of priorities.

Whenever you buy new technology, you are put at risk that it will be replaced by something better in a couple of weeks or that the price will drop. Apple continually updates its hardware lines with machines that are often superior and, spec-for-spec, cheaper than that it immediately replaced, and it does so without warning. Are you "screwed" because you bought a iMac in July 2007 while the August 2007 iMac is actually cheaper for more bang? Nobody who bought an iPhone at its launch has lost anything. They made an investment for a superior product that they felt was well worth the asking price. They're getting a better deal on data than just about anybody else gets.

I live in Canada, where there is no iPhone yet. The very day it is available, I am buying one. I have held off upgrading my aged 2003 iPod and my crummy cell phone for just that reason. I don't know whether Rogers (the presumtive carrier of the iPhone when it comes) will offer anything like the deal on voice and wireless that AT&T does. Canadians pay through the nose for their wireless services. The final subscription cost may not be the $300.00 a month that some have calculated, but I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if I paid more for the same service than could be had in the USA. There's also the fact that Apple products are generally more expensive in Canada even despite the current exchange rate. For comparison, an iPod touch in the USA is $299. The Canadian version is $329 even though the cost for a US iPod Touch in Canadian dollars is approximately $315.00. I'd be paying a premium and I will probably pay a larger premium for the iPhone when it comes.

But will I be anything but delighted with an amazing product that combines all my data needs into one superior phone? Will I say I got screwed? Nope. I will decide what it is worth to me and I will pay that amount if I feel that the price is worth the performance. I'll also weigh in whether it's worth it to me to have an iPhone right away at the asking price or wait for it to drop.

Heck, by the time I get to own my iPhone, it will probably be the second generation version, which like so many other products will probably offer more bang for less bucks than the first generation. I hope there will be no outrage over that.