It amazes me that so few people understand that the carrier subsidy is such a huge part of the iPhone's success. Apple has pulled in obscene profits by making t

It amazes me that so few people understand that the carrier subsidy is such a huge part of the iPhone's success. Apple has pulled in obscene profits by making the carriers pay huge subsidies to keep the iPhone's price competitive. And the carriers turn around and amortize that cost over the rest of their customer base. So, the customers that don't own iPhones are the ones really getting screwed because they're paying the same higher rates but not getting the same hardware subsidy.