Jobs To iPhone Fans "No Rebate"

It's obvious how much Palm loading up with ex-Apple execs and engineers has irked the people currently occupying the halls of Cupertino that is Apple's headquarter. What's not known is just how much Jobs and Co. is willing to let that slip out into the public.

Outside of thinly veiled patent threats surrounding the Pre, there really hasn't been much said about the issue.

Now, most bloggers (and Wall Street analysts with these blogs) believe that Jobs will officially return to work from his medical leave by introducing the next generation of new iPhones. No one knows if it'll be at the WWDC in early June or at a special planned media event.

Whenever or wherever the new iPhones are unveiled, I can totally hear what Steve Jobs is going to say about the prices.

"We have three models. $99. $199. And $299. (PAUSE) And no rebates required," to thunderous applause and laughter. (I don't know if there will be a $99 model. However, given how aggressive Apple wants to grow the iPhone platform, I wouldn't rule it out.)

Note: I wonder if his return will also be marked by declaring what a fine job Tim Cook has done in Jobs' absence and that Tim should keep the CEO title on a permanent basis while Jobs run the show from being the curtain. Sort of a Medvedev-Putin thing.