Apple stores are now selling the iPhone 3G without a contract according to a recent report by AppleInsider.
Retail stores are offering unrestricted quantities of the iPhone 3G at $599 for the 8GB and $699 for for the 16GB. This comes after someone at AT&T leaked plans to sell one no contract iPhone per customer line.
Purchasing from Apple does not require an AT&T contract and activation can be completed by the customer at home through iTunes.
This change in sales policy has likely been implemented to sell off remaining inventory before the expected launch of the new 2009 iPhone in June.
They've been available as Pay-and-Go (but still locked to O2) in the UK for months. You can buy them contract free and not locked to any carrier from Belgium, France and Italy since forever.
How nice & noble a gesture by Apple & AT&T to roll-out their iPhones without a contract (not!!). Greed rules. I wonder what Jobs & Co. must be saying to all those that updated their 3G to 2.2.1/02.30.02 and are now using it as an iPod? Probably, something along these lines; 'told you so' or 'up yours' or even 'gotcha', dudes & dudettes! Well, let's see who lasts the last laugh!