New iPhone Price Leaves Old iPhone Fans Fuming

For most consumers, news that the 8GB iPhone will drop an impressive $200, or about 1/3 of its original price, is great for the wallet. It makes bugging Mom, Dad, or the wife much easier as birthdays and Christmas approach. Unfortunately, Apple's most loyal fans, those that braved the summer heat waiting in line for the device, are not excited.

The iPhone shipped just months ago, leaving many early adopters frustrated with its short-lived $599 price tag. Reports are flooding in that Apple has been slammed with angry customer comments, many demanding a refund for their loyalty when the iPhone's mere future was still anything but known.

Luckily for those that have lashed out at Apple and CEO Steve Jobs, the company is offering a compromise. Buyers who paid the original price tag will be offered $100 in store credit, a measure announced by Jobs himself in an open letter on the official Apple website.

But, is it enough? PC World is asking the web community just that in a poll this morning. Considering the fact that those who buy the iPhone today will be saving $200 of cold, hard cash versus half of that total (in store credit no less), the olive branch may just be snapped in two by early iPhone enthusiasts.

Jobs' response to this is subtly brutal. He writes, "being in technology for 30+ years I can attest to the fact that the technology road is bumpy". (Source: ap.google.com)

Meaning? There's no guarantee a price tag will remain the same for long.  So, get over it.

In a brazen attempt to change the outlook of his customers, Jobs overrode his previous bluntness with, "The good news is that if you buy products from companies that support them well, like Apple tries to do, you will receive years of useful and satisfying service from them even as newer models are introduced.

"We want to do the right thing for our valued iPhone customers. We apologize for disappointing some of you, and we are doing our best to live up to your high expectations of Apple," Jobs assured. (Source: pcworld.com)

Unfortunately for the iPhone's earliest customers, that still leaves them $100 shy.