Is The iPhone in Australia Too Much to Ask?

Not that I could even afford one. And not that I have any friends here to call on one. But damn, since the awesome gadget was released last year, I've been coveting it like I covet chocolate fudge and ice-cold milk. Like I covet a book deal. Hell, a finished draft. Like I covet American Mexican food. I want an iPhone and I want one badly.

But the gem of Jobs is only rumored to be making an appearance down here in June. ("Down here." As though it's at the bottom of a ladder looking up to the heavens for attention. Sometimes it feels like that, people.) There's talk of 3G and no messy contracts with specific carriers. There's talk of the timing to coincide with the first Apple stores in Australia in Sydney and Melbourne. And there's talk of just about all kinds of other things regarding the iPhone, including unlocking it.

Think there's no interest in Australia? A search online yields no fewer than five dedicated Web sites pushing for the iPhone here. There is news. There are rumors. There is unlocking information. And it's all moot to those of us who can't afford one. Knowing how things go here, the iPhone will probably cost $1,500. No joke.

So until I can get my grubby hands on one, I'll continue to see them make appearances on television, in movies, and in my imagination.