(Column) - Considering Apple’s iPhone is the hottest consumer electronics device right now, and the world is going crazy with a variety of speculations that range from usability, price points and everything else in between, I found an interesting research conducted through a web survey by Harris Interactive Technology Research. Here’s a link for more information on the study. Perhaps the most interesting tidbit (though they are all interesting, aren’t they?) is the 17 percent of those who were polled said they will purchase the iPhone after it has dropped in price to more respectable levels. Oh, how ticklish that statement is, and I feel sorry for the people who are going to wait in hopes of snapping the iPhone on sale or with a new contract. Let me tell you something: it’s not going to happen.

How many times have you heard of Apple slashing the iPod’s price just to stay competitive? Never, right. Obviously there’s a good reason for that. Apple doesn’t need to do that. The company is in a fortunate position to mark up its price however it wants without losing to its competitors. That’s the beauty of Apple. As such, the chances of the iPhone ever coming down in price are pretty much nonexistent.

Note to Professionals: Go Away, iPhone is Not For You

Apple wouldn’t mind if the iPhone remains within the Mac community (not going to happen) and never becomes mainstream like the iPod. The company is notorious for having its own cult that’s oblivious to (or probably doesn’t care) about what others are doing. As such, it already knows it’s going to build a loyal userbase around the iPhone that’s going to purchase the latest model of the iPhone and throw away the previous one. Not to mention, none of the other mobile handset makers are going to have clones that are going to kill the iPhone. Apple is the innovator with an appetitive for devouring big chunks of market share early on in the game, when others are sleeping. By the time they realize what has happened, Apple is way ahead and next to impossible to catch up.

Keeping all of these factors in mind, Apple doesn’t have an incentive to lower its price on the iPhone. Apple has a lot of attitude (justifiably so), and it’s one of those companies that makes sure you are lucky if you are using an Apple product, not the other way around. Apple is good at making its customers do what it wants, hence the reason to limit its carrier selection. The company has made it clear time and again that it only works with partners that are going to bend over backwards to give Apple a deal of its lifetime, in return of getting an equally special deal from Apple (which is generally the ability to retail Apple products).

These reasons clearly depict Apple’s intentions, and portray a wholesome view of Apple’s strategic picture. So, for those of you who are going to wait for the iPhone to drop in price or come to your carrier, forget about it. It’s not going to happen anytime soon, if ever.

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