Apple and AT&T on Tuesday released details of the service plans for the iPhone, which will be released later this week. The iPhone will have three available plans that will start at $59.99.
Individual plans are priced at $59.99 for 450 minutes, $79.99 for 900 minutes and $99.99 for 1,350 minutes.
The two higher-priced monthly plans provide unlimited night and weekend minutes -- for AT&T, night hours start at 9:00 p.m. local time -- while the least expensive sports a 5,000-minute allowance.
iPhone customers can also choose from any of AT&T's standard service plans, according to AT&T.
Existing AT&T customers can add unlimited data for $20 (with 200 text messages), $30 (for 1,500 messages) or $40 (for unlimited texting) a month; several family-style plans will also be available, according to the Apple Web site. Those plans range from $80 per month for 700 shared minutes to $120 monthly for 2,100 shared minutes. All buyers can also keep their existing phone numbers, including transfers of numbers currently served by other mobile carriers.
As predicted, the activation charge for the iPhone will be AT&T's standard $36.
All three iPhone plans include unlimited data, Visual Voice mail, 200 SMS text messages, roll-over minutes, and unlimited mobile-to-mobile calling.
"We want to make choosing a service plan simple and easy, so every plan includes unlimited data with direct Internet access," said Apple CEO Steve Jobs.
The companies also offered details for the activation of the iPhone. As expected, the activation process will be handled through Apple's iTunes application -- the process, according to Apple will only take a few minutes as iTunes guides users to choose a service plan, authorize a credit, and activate the iPhone.
iPhone activation requires an Internet connection, an iTunes Store account or a major credit card, a valid Social Security number (as required by AT&T), the latest version of iTunes, and a PC or Mac with a USB 2.0 port and one of the following operating systems: Mac OS X v10.4.10 or later; Windows XP Home or Professional with Service Pack 2 or later; or Windows Vista Home Premium, Business, Enterprise or Ultimate Edition.
Apple has posted a seven-minute video demo of iTunes activating an iPhone and synchronizing data on the local computer with the device. A model -- dressed in a black T-shirt no less, walks users through the procedure.
