Earlier Adopter Tax: $100

So you bought an iPhone at the top of the hype -- or you even stood in line to get one of the first ones? Well, that'll cost you $100.

Seems that since Apple dropped the price of the iPhone by $200 yesterday (the 8GB version) - people have been ... um... really pissed off. So, Apple said that anyone that ponied up the full amount up to 14 days ago can get $200 back in Apple credit.

Not good enough for the hard-core Mac/iPhone folks - they still put up so much of a stink that Steve Jobs himself apologized and agreed to give everyone who bought an iPhone $100 in Apple credit. OK, good PR move - and they still have to buy Apple stuff with the credit (probably iTunes stuff, no doubt).

Apple credit costs Apple a whole lot less than the venerable "real" buck that was spent by the early adopters - but hey, it's better than nothing.

And to the early adopters - what the hell did you think would happen? That there would never be a price decrease? Never be newer/better/cheaper versions of the iPhone?

OK, I'll give you the fact that it's only been 9 weeks since the introduction of the iPhone - but did you really think that Apple wouldn't try to capitalize on the early holiday season rush? I'll also wager that the early adopters of the iPhone (read: fans) - are the same type of people that bought the original iPod, the original iMac and probably the original MacBook. All of which are smaller, cheaper, more powerful and "better" than the originals.

So, folks, stop the bitching and either: A) take a pill and actually WAIT for the 2.x or 3.x version of a device - or B) shut the hell up and write off the $100 (roughly $2.40 per day - or the Starbucks equivalent of a grande drip) as the tax for being an early adopter.