Nor do I particularly want to pay more than double what I pay for unlimited fixed-line broadband just to get the same service on my handset.
In a way, the iPhone plan shows how far the cellular industry has to go with mobile data. Simple flat rate plans are what make fixed broadband appealing, and cellcos know they need to go this route if they want to play in the mobile Internet space, but many of them can't seem to bring themselves to do it. Not yet.
However, one interesting knock-on effect of the iPhone's arrival in Hong Kong is its impact on the overall mobile data market. Just as the iPhone has transformed the way handset makers approach handset design, its success as a mobile data driver in the US and Europe has forced cellcos to rethink their mobile data plans - especially the ones who have to compete against rivals who have iPhone deals with Apple.
Two HK cellcos have already launched pre-emptive strikes against 3 HK with shiny new mobile data packages. PCCW mobile - which already has a fixed/HSPA modem/Wi-Fi package in its arsenal - is going for the price-war strategy, offering unlimited mobile data for just under HK$400 a month. SmarTone-Vodafone is fighting fire with fire, offering its boutique Sharp SX862 handset and the HTC Touch Diamond (the iPhone's closest rival at the moment) via special package plans.
All of which testifies further to the iPhone's power as a game-changer. For all its flaws (and my grousing aside, they are minor things), the iPhone is driving handset designs, user interfaces and business models into uncharted territory, and not a moment too soon.
Still don't want one, though.