iPhone Service Starts at $59.99 + Internet Plan

AT&T Inc. and Apple Inc. on Tuesday revealed prices for iPhone service, which would start at $59.99 a month and require customers to buy an Internet plan.

Where to buy iPhone
iPhone is expected go on sale Friday evening at 1,800 retail stores operated by AT&T (T) and about 200 stores run by Apple (AAPL) . Apple stores will be closed from 2-6pm on 29th. It will open again at 6 PM when you can buy iPhone. They will also provide personal training in Apple stores. Apple will also sell the handset online.

iPhone Pricing (and small text)
The music-capable iPhone comes in two versions, a 4-gigabyte model priced at $ 499 and an 8-gigabyte model that will cost $599.

In addition, customers would have to pay monthly fees ranging from $59.99 (450 minutes of talk time) to $ 99.99 (1350 minutes), compared with regular AT&T plans that cost from $39.99 to $79.99 for the same amount of airtime. Activation fee is $36.

iPhone requires a new two-year AT&T service plan. Customers with existing AT&T accounts will have the option of keeping their existing phone number and upgrading their account to work with iPhone. I don’t like this at all.

Do you think the price is too high, even for Apple?

What extras do you get
You can send up to 200 text messages at no additional fee, roll over unused minutes and make free mobile-to-mobile calls on the AT&T wireless network.

iPhone System Requirements
iPhone activation requires an Internet connection; an iTunes Store account or a major credit card; a valid Social Security number, latest version of iTunes and a PC or Mac with a USB 2.0 port and one of the following operating systems: Mac OS X v10.4.10 or later; Windows XP with Service Pack 2 or later; or Windows Vista.
I wonder if I should also give them my Mother’s maiden name and date of birth while I am at it

Misc.
iPhone users will be able to activate their new iPhones using iTunes software running on a PC or Mac computer in the comfort of their home, without having to wait in a store for activation. There are plans to launch family plans.