Your iPhone Bill Will Be Smaller: That Is, Shorter

After iPhone users were surprised with hundred-plus page phone bills clogging their mailboxes earlier this month, AT&T has acted swiftly to brush the egg off its face and switch to a less obtrusive billing system.

Yesterday, the wireless business of AT&T sent text messages to all its iPhone users to announce that from now on, it will be replacing the painstakingly itemized bills with summary statements.

"We are simplifying your paper bill, removing itemized detail. To view all detail go to att.com/mywireless. Still need full paper bill? Call 611."

AT&T said it had planned all along to swap the oversized statement with summarized iPhone bills, but it looks as if the provider has fast-tracked that change to quiet customers, journalists, and bloggers who will latch on to any opportunity to poke fun at Apple's newest blockbuster product.

By September 28, all the new wireless customers will be sent summary bills. Customers who make changes to an existing account will also begin receiving the summary bills, according to the New York Times.

And for those users who really enjoyed seeing every email, text message, internet access, and phone call as its own separate line item, you can still pay $1.99 each month to have the unabridged paper bill mailed to you.

Liz Gunnison