Confession: the US broadcast news networks I get up here in the frozen north come mostly from Vermont with a side of Northern New York. So, lo and behold, I caught part of the Burlington CBS station’s teaser last night, and the big news? They’re finally getting the iPhone 3G!

It means dozens of new jobs in Vermont and that the heavily-hyped iPhone will soon be here in Vermont. [...] AT&T officials say their products and services will be available at ten former Unicel locations in mid-January. They will honor current contracts for up to a year.

Is that the last state in the Union to get with the iPhone? Anyone else still missing out?

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

AT&T Buys Unicel, Vermont Gets iPhone

US tax dollars at work dept.: TUAW is reporting (via TheHill.com) that the Chief Administrative Office of the U.S Congress is testing iPhones due to “people requesting them as an option”:

Adoption of the iPhone by the U.S. Congress could be another blow to RIM, which is now behind Apple in terms of sales and revenues. Apple CEO Steve Jobs gleefully reported that “Apple beat RIM” during yesterday’s Q4 Earnings Call.

7 Million iPhone sold last quarter alone, and we’ve already heard rumors of HSBC ditching the Blackberry for the iPhone. Is this the beginning of Something Big, or just a simple case of new technology getting the tires kicked?

What say you, Americans?

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

iPhone to Replace Blackberry in Congress?

Looks like Apple might be shutting down iTunes in the US and Norway. At least that’s what VP of Internet Services (iTunes, Mobile Me, App Store), Eddy Cue says (via Macrumors):

“If the [iTunes music store] was forced to absorb any increase in the … royalty rate, the result would be to significantly increase the likelihood of the store operating at a financial loss – which is no alternative at all. Apple has repeatedly made it clear that it is in this business to make money, and most likely would not continue to operate [the iTunes music store] if it were no longer possible to do so profitably.”

What’s the deal’yo? In two separate, but equally perplexing bits of news, the US Government is thinking of dumping an extra $0.15 surcharge (going to copyright holders) onto digital downloads, which would result in either consumers paying $1.14 a track for iTunes music, or Apple eating the $0.15 itself.

Since Apple already gives the record labels $0.70 per download, and out of the remaining $0.30, pays all the bandwidth, storage, infrastructure, credit card and other transactional feeds, administration, etc., cutting that margin in half is not realistic for a for-profit company (can you say shareholder lawsuit?)

Hey, here’s an idea, why not take that from the record label’s cut? They’ve made a business out of negating artists rights (remember, they went to court to get ringtones declared derivative works, so they don’t have to pay artists — but still charge consumers ridiculous, pure profit, premiums for them!), so it seems only fair restitution should come from their end (provided the artist still holds the copyright…)

Meanwhile, Norway wants Apple to open Fairplay DRM. While Apple has publicly stated they themselves want to rid music of DRM, the record labels won’t give them DRM-free music (preferring to use it to bolster competitors like Amazon and Naptser), so how about Norway go have a word with the Big 4? I’m sure everyone else would love to be rid of that short-sighted bit of un-usability. Then go swing the mystic hammer at Hollywood and get us DRM free TV and movies while they’re at it. As we all know, DRM doesn’t stop real pirates, it just makes it harder for real users to manage.

What do you think? Is Apple rightly on the hook? Or is it time pressure was placed where it really belongs, on the Big Media companies?

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Apple Threatening “Scorched Earth” iTunes in the US and Norway?

UPDATE: Verizon has just announced their 4G/LTE plans for end-of-year 2010, which may make their network compatible with future iPhone models. More details here.

ORIGINAL: We’ve all heard that AT&T in the US has an exclusive on the iPhone, and that maybe that exclusive was bumped up to 2010 when they agreed to the new iPhone 3G model, but no one outside the lawyer-strewn vaults at Apple and AT&T likely knows how much or for how long. With that in mind, BGR is rumoring that Verizon might be getting ready to unleash a little CDMA/EVDO iPhone fury all their own.

Apple is said to have approached Verizon to be the original iPhone carrier, after all, with AT&T only getting the deal when Verizon turned it down. Likewise, it’s been suggested that Apple may not exactly be thrilled at the problems 3G users (and Crackberry Kevin’s, it seems!) are having on the AT&T network.

Still, this one is hard for us to believe. Irrespective of Verizon’s huge footprint in the US, and regardless of the appeal a CDMA/EVDO iPhone may have for some, it’s a small global market for Apple to spend their already straining resources on.

Besides, Jeremy points out that with the Blackberry Storm set to strike over at Verizon, would they really want to let the iPhone 3G steal RIM’s “thunder” (ouch!)

What do you think? Any iPhone owners out there dying to switch (back?) to Verizon? Any Verizon stalwarts still holding out for an EVDO iPhone?

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Want Your iPhone on Verizon?

If you currently own a iPhone 3G and are lucky enough to be paying $15 for the MEdia Net Unlimited data plan, your luck is about to change. And not for the better. AT&T is currently on the hunt for you, and you will soon join the rest of us in coughing up another $15 a month of your hard earned money for the the $30 iPhone 3G data plan.

You chould be receiving the following email anytime now:

Our service records indicate that you are using an iPhone 3G with a data plan designed for other devices. To avoid unexpected data overage charges and enable Visual Voicemail, please contact your telecom manager, or an AT&T representative at 1-800-331-0500. Thank you for choosing wireless from AT&T. We appreciate your business.

So there you have it folks, everyone will soon be on a level playing field. Have any of our loyal readers received the email above from AT&T yet?

(via The Boy Genius Report)

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Not on the AT&T $30 iPhone Data Plan? Soon You Will Be…

Good news? Looks like there really is a new “Home” option for iPhone activation in the US. Bad news? Looks like it has nothing to do with the iPhone being sold unlocked. Apple Insider, who broke the rumor, updates as follows:

In order to service these customers, a special home pre-qualification web site has been set up so that users can find if they are qualified by AT&T for a phone unit subsidy. Users can set up their account at home so that everything is ready to go when they make their iPhone 3G purchase at a retail store. The new “Home” option that retail employees are seeing on their EasyPay terminals is designed to allow them to use this home pre-qualification step to accelerate the transaction of a new iPhone 3G. That also indicates there is no impending potential for unlocked iPhone 3G sales in the US, although this is expected at some point.

Apple Insider is also sticking to the 32GB SKU, but maybe only after the holidays (though presumably that means short term, not, you know, any point after the holidays and into future months/years…)

Magic 8-Ball?

• Unlocked iPhones in the US? Very Doubtful
• 32GB iPhone in the *near* future? It is certain

Interesting! Can’t wait to see how this one pans out!

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Rumor Smashed: No Unlocked iPhone 3G in the US

Have an iPhone on AT&T and want to travel internationally without re-mortgaging your house to pay for the data roaming? You’re in luck… mostly. Engadget says the USA’s exclusive iPhone carrier has just released two new plans to help mitigate your risk: $119.99 for 100MB and $199.99 for 200MB.

Realizing AT&T does have to pay other carriers for any users on their networks, we still can’t help but wonder if there’s an ulterior motive… Given the poor marks AT&T’s network received in Wired’s survey when compared to European carriers, maybe Ma Bell is trying to dissuade frustrated users from fleeing the country? Unfortunately, these new plans are pretty much Rogers’ 2006 domestic rates, and probably still competitive with several international carrier-gougers!

So, AT&T travelers, will these new plans encourage you to keep the data roaming enabled for your next trip?

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

AT&T Releases New (Still Expensive) Roaming Data Plans

Finally. Finally! You’ll be able to get your giant-sized HDTV $200 HDMI cables, chocolate frosted sugar bombs, and iPhone 3G all under one big, blue roof!

Yup, Apple Insider rumored yesterday, and now Associated Press has confirmed, Best Buy will begin selling 970 full-size stores and 16 smaller, but recently upgraded Best Buy Mobile stores, come September 7.

Says Shawn Score, president of Best Buy Mobile:

We had a lot of work to do, obviously, to get in a position where Apple and AT&T would feel good about Best Buy Mobile carrying it, and that’s what we’ve done in the last 18 months

Back in late June, Dieter posted about this and the much more frightening rumor of Radioshack getting their “laughing stock” hands on it, so it’s not a total shocker… just as long as the Quickymart doesn’t get it next, b’okay?

I mean, El Jobso still personally authorizes each reseller based on some cosmic alignment of Feng Shui and color swatches, right?

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Best Buy to Start Selling the iPhone 3G USA-Wide on Sept. 7

It’s been two weeks since the July 11th, 22 nation launch. Do you know where your iPhone 3G is? Sadly, for many, the answer is still “backordered” if not “out-of-stock”. But don’t worry, your always customer conscious and perennially consumer focused mobile cell provider wants to make sure you know that they know that you’re feeling some pain. And they want to assure you they’re doing everything they can to get your money you your shiny new iPhone 3G.

First, they are absolutely, positively not hoarding them or stockpiling them in any secret iVaults. It’s still first-come, first-served, and in AT&T is prioritizing direct fulfillment (with a 2 week wait time), and advising their stores are currently sold out. (Hey, they’re moving it twice as fast as last year, remember? Just imagine if they had stock!)

Second, for its part Apple has stopped providing JSON data to independent webbers who were keeping you better informed (than Apple) as to what stores had precisely which units when you got there 15 exactly minutes too late. Back to Apple.com, or the still long line ups outside Apple Retail, for those in the US.

Third, in the UK 02 Online is out, stores are in increasingly short supply, but might get a few more units trickling in today.

Not worried in the least, Apple’s supply-chain wizards plan to launch the iPhone 3G in 20 more countries in just under a month from now. Good luck with that.

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

iPhone 3G in the US and UK: 2 Weeks Later

This time last week Dieter was holding the line in Rhode Island, Chad was laying the video smack down in Ohio, Brian was too busy getting him some apps to even say where he was, and Casey was waiting for the lines to die down (good luck with that!)

Now it’s one week later and what’s going on? Well, thanks to Cherryhead25 (via Engadget) we know that the up-again/down-again FREE iPhone 3G AT&T WiFI access is currently up again.

That is, if you can find an iPhone 3G to buy! Seems Apple Insider has found yet another leaked AT&T memo that hints at major supply shortages in the US (welcome to the rest of the world!), leading to back-orders of 10 to 14 days.

Frequent Apple analyst Gene Munster, told Computerworld (via Ars Technica) the shortages might last a month!

“I bet we’ll see these problems for another two to four weeks. Early demand has been more than they expected [because] they knocked it out of the park on the first weekend. “There were outages last year, but not to this extent. This is a more sustained outage [than last year's], and the demand seems to be sustained.”

So the continued line ups would have us believe. And the hardest to find model? Nope, not the white one sported by Dieter or Chad! The 16GB iPhone Black… Wonder who got me one of those?

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

iPhone in the USA: One Week Later: AT&T WiFi Live, iPhone 3G in Short Supply!