In a press release yesterday, Apple and ATT have renewed their exclusive partnership which includes lowering the initial cost of the Iphone.  The next generation Iphone will start at $199 for the 8GB model with a two you contract with ATT.  ATT will offer plans starting at $30 per month for voice plus $39.99 per month for data.  While the phone is less, it appears the new plans are $10 per month more than the current available plans.

The Iphone is scheduled to be released July 11.  I anticipate a large demand given the new business features and lower device cost.

Unlike the older model iphone, the new version will be have applications to integrate to corporate email and intranets.  This will open the door for corporations to begin using the iphone as a business device and not just a cool toy.

On a side note, to the Apple stock investors who are concerned the lower price will hurt shareholder value, Jobs had this to say “We’ve done very well for shareholders over the past decade [and] ask them to trust us – maybe we know what we’re doing.”