iPhone rebates or subsidies?

In the US most carriers offer rebates and/or subsidies to offset the cost of phones and their contracts. Will Apple follow this trend? Rumors are swirling that they might just do so. According to several sources including Apple Insider, American Technology analyst Shaw Wu says Apple is considering offering a mail-in rebate or carrier subsidy in the $50 to $150 range. When you compare this amount to the guaranteed revenues from many data cell phone plans (they can run into the multiple thousands of dollars over a two year contract), it's a drop in the bucket.