3G-Speed for iPhones

To have put this phone on GSM has got to be one of the dumbest things Apple has done. This is why I don't have one. I was told that it was because they got a better financial arrangement with AT&T. Sounds like AT&T was just trying to squeeze a little more life out of a soon to be obsolete network and they were willing to give Apple a deal they couldn't resist. For sure the power issue with the battery is a factor but I don't buy trading that for crappy service, it just doesn't make sense. The bean counters won, the engineers lost.

I agree. Anytime that a phone is offered by a phone company as an exclusive, it is a clear sign of some heavy subsidy from the phone company. In this case, I think that Apple WANTED someone to take it exclusively. If it is "exclusive," it will be harder to get and more desirable. On the other hand, if you are looking for increased sales, why not put it in all outlets.

Another consideration might be the differing versions. Current version is GSM. They would have to come up with a CDMA version for other US carriers.

Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of accountants and marketing people?

I have an LG KU990 which is like a cheap version

yes with a 3 g connection the battery life is smashed down to about an hour but yes I would consider it junk without UMTS (3g) which opens up video streaming and usefull browsing