InterDigital Inc (IDCC)

[plumear]

Catchnrel, I'll take a stab at that.

There are two possible motivations for Apple, IMO. One might be a part of an agreement with AT&T for their support given to the launch of the Iphone-1; a partnership, so to speak.

The other is a marketing ploy. Back in the 70's, Coors beer was not sold east of the Mississippi river. Coors said it was because of their practice of always keeping the beer refrigerated from the time it was brewed, to maintain it's freshness. Whatever the reason, if you lived in the east, Coors beer was THE beer and it demanded a real premium in price. I personally was involved in traveling west, like other entrepreneurs, to buy the beer and take it back to sell for a profit. The situation was the basis for the movie "Smokey and the Bandit". (and NO, I'm not Burt Reynolds! ...LOL) IMO, Steve Jobs has done the same thing. By limiting the availability of the Iphone, it's very scarcity has been the thing that has helped create the huge pent up demand.

"Though I'm impressed overall with a lot of what Apple is doing with iPhone 3g, one thing that baffles me about their strategy is the continued exclusive for AT&T in the domestic market."