Today Steve Jobs announced that the price of the 8GB iPhone was going from $599 to $399.

I love the device. I bought one opening day. Didn’t even have to wait in any lines or anything. And in my opinion, it’s the best cell phone ever, period. I’m glad I own one, and it has never disappointed me.

But to drop the price by a third a mere 2 months after you release it is kind of a knee to the groin to all those who bought it before this morning. I would have absolutely no problem if they dropped it to $549 or even $499. But to drop it to $399 clearly shows, at least in my opinion, a steadfast desire on Apple’s part to make a premium off of the enthusiasts (of which you have to admit there are tons, and I’m happy to admit I’m one of them). In fact, I could live with a $399 price if they set it one year after launch. But this just happened too quickly.

Apple has dropped prices significantly on their products before, but (to my knowledge) never by such a percentage so fast after launch.

So I feel taken advantage of. And that feels pretty rotten. And it’s really unfortunate, I think, for those of us who decided to buy the iPhone right after launch.  I’ve purchased lots of Apple products over the past two years or so but, I’ll say it again, none of them has ever had such a significant price drop in a matter of weeks.

I’m glad the iPhone is only $399 now. That just means that even more people will be able to enjoy it, and they should – it’s an amazing device. But to quote South Park, “I’ve learned something today.” I think I’ll be a tad more patient before I buy Apple’s next big thing, particularly if the price seems on the high side (which I think everyone can agree the original iPhone prices were).