The idea of Bubba from some flyover state downloading a farmers almanac ap makes me giggle.

"Hey, did you get that at Walmart" I <3 Consumerist.

NOOOOOoooooo.......

It's already passed the RAZR to becoming the best-selling phone of all time. But I didn't buy one for the exclusivity or the air of class - I bought it because it's really, really good.

Does this mean the iPhone has finally jumped the shark?

*puts on asbestos suit*

@theblackdog: srsly, this makes me so happy. Those smug fucking Apple sheep are now yesterday's HD-DVD owners.

@wattznext: Urban snobbery, never goes out of style. :P

Actually is there a Farmer's Almanac for iPhone? That'd be kind of cool.

I bought my iPhone the very first day it came out (yes, I was one of those people who stood in line for 12+ hours). And I bought it because, yes, I am an Apple Fangirl/tech geek and the iPhone is awesome. Never had an iPod and the thought of being able to have the iPod and phone (plus Jailbreak it and do all sorts of illicit things with it) made me light up like a kid at Christmas. I think everybody should be able to enjoy it if they can afford it.

HOWEVER -

My only problem with the iPhone being open to the masses is this: Many people buy the iPhone simply because it's the iPhone. It's an awesome piece of gadget heaven. Great. Unfortunately, these same people who have it just because it is what it is often times know NOTHING about the device itself and thus are often pissed off when they realize what kind of commitment to technology it requires. Yes, you can only control it/sync it in iTunes. No, you can't do a few select things with it (generally they're not interested in hearing WHY Apple has designed the firmware this way - and I dare not go into Jailbreaking because it's confusing to most and I'm not taking the heat if you brick it).

The iPhone requires a bit more of a connection and commitment to technology to REALLY be able to do what you wanna do with the phone than most people are used to. I can't tell you how many phone calls/emails/texts I've gotten from a panicky new iPhone owner asking questions or bitching about what they can't do.

That is my only complaint about iPhone being available to the masses. But I think if you're willing to step up to the circuit board (plate), then by all means...iPhone FTW, baby.

@ADismalScience: I'd buy one if I could afford the $100 plan every month.. but yeah. $12,000 a year for a phone is a bit steep.

@shorty63136: And if you have the money to pay for the egregiously expensive data plan it requires to be even moderatly functional.

@wattznext:

I don't think they have 3G where most of Wal-Mart's target demographic lives. I was under the assumption they still communicated via two tin cans tied together with a length of fishing wire.

@shorty63136:

Well, the iphone is a phone for the masses. If it wasn't, then it would have all the bells and whistles that real smartphones have. By taking away features and keeping things simple, Apple removes some of the fear/intimidation that people have with technology.

There's really not much of a commitment to technology that is required. Just a computer with itunes, an internet connection, and enough money to pay the monthly bills. Jailbreaking and homebrew apps are for tech savvy people, and not for Apple's target audience.

If a person is complaining about all the features that the iphone lacks, then they should get a Windows Mobile phone or a Blackberry.

@Oranges w/ Cheese: Hmm, might wanna double-check that math, bub.

I'd love to buy an iPhone, and the data plan isn't that much more than my current AT&T plan...I just can't afford the phone itself. Heck, I'm selling some stuff on eBay just so I can upgrade my Razr V3 to a Rizr Z3. All I want is a camera phone with expandable memory and a flash. I have my Zune for my mp3s...though I am jealous of people with the "real" interent on their iPhones.

I prefer the Google G1 myself. This is an interesting development though. It signals that this generation of phones is becoming more mainstream and less of a tech geek's/Apple fanboy's toy.

@HeyApples:

Whoops, can't believe I linked tech geeks and Apples fanboys, since the two groups are almost diametrically opposed.

The point still stands though... more mainstream, less of a niche gimmick.

@Amanduh: Maybe his phone has a Pentium.

@AlteredBeast: I'd love to get one but will never willingly give another cent to AT&T, Cingular, or whatever they're calling themselves today. They tried to bill me for the amount of credit I had, saying that "-$97.50 means you owe us $97.50".

@HeyApples: Awww, that's not fair. Some of us are out there installing Linux on our iPods (sounds cooler than it is, sadly), or actually making use of the Terminal. Or wait...I guess wiping the almighty Steve's OS in favor of Linux kind of disqualifies me as a fanboy...

@shorty63136: "The iPhone requires a bit more of a connection and commitment to technology to REALLY be able to do what you wanna do with the phone than most people are used to."

No, it doesn't.

It's got one of the most intuitive user interface of any phone (other than the ones with no PIM) out there. That makes it one of the best phones on the market.

I don't even know what you mean by commitment to technology. There's nothing complicated in its phone interface, or any other basic functionality it offers. The touch interface actually makes it easier to use than a lot of the other phones (Windows Mobile is a prime example).

@wattznext:

Every time I see a disaster movie the utterly destroys LA or NYC, I can't help but smile.

@wattznext: Now we'll have all the guns and iphones. Be afraid.

@shorty63136: Yes, because it's so much fun to hear an Apple fanboy go on and on about Apple's business decisions for chaining their products to iTunes.

There's such a thing as having the phone because its functionality for 99% of the time is totally above and beyond, and then the other 1% being incredibly irritated at certain aspects of it.

It's like saying "Well, if you're computing on a PC, you don't get to bitch about how SQL 2005 interface sucks." It's completely disingenuous, and one of the most irritating things about owning an Apple product; the rest of us get lumped in with Apple fanatics who think that everything the company does was ordained by a turtlenecked Messiah.

@HeyApples: Not necessarily. I spend more time in Terminal than in any other single app, do application development in PHP, Java, and Python for multiple web frameworks, and run BSD or Linux on all my non-Mac computers.

Conceptually I like the iPhone, but I want more memory in something that size. I would most likely jailbreak it if I got one just so I can poke around at the limits and capabilities of the hardware.

@Oranges w/ Cheese: Are you using a Zune to calculate your math?

So this means that the PC fanboys will be calling all the Wal-Mart customers... Smug?!

@Pixelantes Anonymous: You're not hearing what I'm saying, obviously.

What other phone do you HAVE to activate and sync via iTunes? What other phone do you HAVE to have an Apple ID/password to download apps for? What other phone do you have to go over the hill and through the woods to get a ringtone for?

I know the phone has a great UI and is easy to use, but when you get the, "I got an iPhone b/c it's an iPhone" people who unbox it and then huff and puff about doing the above mentioned things - that's the kind of commitment to technology I mean. They don't want to hear about the workarounds to be able to DO these things - it's too complicated then when I tell them how to send an SMS message via email or using iToner to get ringtones for free instead of doing what Apple wants you to do. And like I said - I dare not mention Jailbreaking.

That's what I mean.

@Oranges w/ Cheese: The data plan really isn't that much more expensive than a BlackBerry data plan with addition to text messages.

They're rather comparable even though the iPhone's Safari is much richer than other smartphones.

@LatherRinseRepeat: I'm sorry - how do you figure the iPhone isn't a smartphone? It most certainly is.

However - I see what you're saying, and agree with your last line, because the basic things about iTunes, Internet connection, etc. are the things that I CONSTANTLY hear people complaining about. "I HAVE to sync my phone w/ iTunes? What does this mean? What does that mean? Why do I have to do this?"

I'm being totally serious. Jailbreaking and other more intense workarounds aside, there are people who simply buy this phone b/c it's the hottest thing right now and then complain when they see they can't just turn it on and it does everything they want with 0% effort or involvement.

@shorty63136: Should be MMS message.

there goes your fanboy hipster appeal.

by the way, get ready for a million posts about having to help grandma "get her phone out of jail"

*redact "jail", insert "hoosegow"

@PsychicPsycho3: To be fair, the iPhone is a pretty awesome piece of hardware, and Apple leveraging the iTunes store to sell applications is pretty damn smart. The fact that Fail*Mart will sell it just goes to show how popular the device is.

I wonder if Fail*Mart will sell a cheap Chinese rip-off, complete with lead poisoning, or the real thing.

@PsychicPsycho3: wtf, anger issues much? do you seriously hate everyone who has an iphone just because of the PHONE they chose?

Is there any other handset maker as evil and loathsome than Apple in your view?

Did you ever stop to think that maybe most of the people using iphones actually bought it because they like it and it meets their needs, rather than just to spite you?

@Oranges w/ Cheese: Oh whatever. BlackBerry plans cost just as much.

@shorty63136:

>>"What other phone do you HAVE to activate and sync via iTunes? "

A. Activation is done at the store, so what the hell do you care whether it's done with iTunes or "Verizon Proprietary Activation Unit version 2.3.455"?

B. Most people don't sync their phones at all and they don't have to sync the iPhone at all in order to use it. I'm sure many don't ever sync. But most mobile phone users do also have iPods which sync exactly the same way. If they hated iTunes they would NOT have bought an iPhone. You're making something out of nothing.

>> "What other phone do you HAVE to have an Apple ID/password to download apps for?"

Uh, what other phone can the AVERAGE PERSON easily download dozens of FREE USEFUL apps for? The answer: Barely any other phones. How much freaking time does it take to make an apple id? Like all of 2 minutes. Don't forget, everyone who has bought music on itunes, and everybody who ever had AOL, already has an ID.

>>What other phone do you have to go over the hill and through the woods to get a ringtone for?

Are you high? The average person buys ringtones on their regular phone by paying $3-5 a tone and buying through some crappy "app" on the handset. iPhone users buy ringtones for $1.99 on iTunes in the same way as they buy a song, only they also get to trim the song to the desired section. Then they sync and are done. In order for this to qualify as a huge bother for you, I guess you're someone who likes music enough to want custom ringtones, but have never used a computer before.

I guess more than the illogical arguments you provide, I just don't get the fucking vitriol you anti-iPhone people are so full of. OMG IPHONE TEH SUXORS!!!1

Here's a tip, if you don't like that product, shut the hell up and don't buy it. But stop making such a big deal of other people's choices that are none of your business.

Nice... this means the iPhone will now be sold at a retailer that accepts EBT cards for payment.

@howie_in_az:

Interestingly, this may sort of be the case.

The iPhone is already made in China, but Apple is rather unusual in its sector in that most of its products comply to new EU regulations on poisonous substances in electronic devices (this is less a user protection thing and more a disposal issue). These regulations are considerably stricter, in most cases, than the US ones, and many companies make separate EU and International versions of their products to save money.

Walmart might provide a method to sell the iPhone in sufficient bulk to justify a separate US version with the looser requirements. At the moment, the EU as a whole is a better market prospect for them than the US (higher population, larger mobile phone penetration, cheaper plans, more widespread 3G, generally cheaper phones and better telecom subsidies), but higher sales in the US might make this more practical.

@HeyApples: Erm, Apple's recent big break in the computer market was that they brought out a laptop with a proper operating system which worked properly. (Getting power management working properly on Linux laptops can still be tricky.) Go to any (non-games) tech conference and half the laptops will be Apple.