I see over on Rod’s blog the following comment;
I went into a Vodafone store today and was told that the iPhone to be released here is NOT the 3G one announced today, but a different “3Gi” one to be announced in a low key manner by Apple next week. They didn’t know the difference, but one assumes that support for 3G on 900 MHz might well be the main one.
They also said that 1) the iPhones will not be SIM locked, and 2) they *will* be available on prepay at a non-subsidized price, probably around $800 – $1000.
Take this with whatever “shop staff don’t actually know anything yet” grain of salt you think appropriate, but they seemed very sure of the 3Gi business.
So what of Steve’s promise re a worldwide maximum price of USD199????
False advertising – no?
Any chance of a comment from Voda NZ?
Ben Kepes is an analyst, an entrepreneur, a commentator and a business adviser. His business interests include a diverse range of industries from manufacturing to property to technology. As a technology commentator he has a broad presence both in the traditional media and extensively online. Ben covers the convergance of technology, mobile, ubiquity and agility, all enabled by the Cloud. His areas of interest extend to enterprise software, software integration, financial/accounting software, platforms and infrastructure as well as articulating technology simply for everyday users. 
I watched the keynote, and he did qualify the maximum $199 price with a ‘in most countries’. Lets also not forget that $199 price point also came bundled with a 2 year AT&T service contract – Vodafone presumably could set the contract rate wherever they choose.