Free iPhone swap out program?

While perusing the local tech news I stumbled across this nugget off the Yahoo Tech wire.

Apperantly, AT&T is allowing customers who bought iPhones after May 27th 2008 you will be entitled to get a free upgrade to the latest 3g version.

On its face it sounds like a bit of the good will I have been so desperate to see is leaking out, despite Apple (and AT&T's) best efforts.

While I am always happy to see corporate policies that are friendly to the consumer I can't help but feel underwhelmed at the news.

#1. May 27 - July 11th isn't that long of a period. Frankly the savvy consumer could likely do a return (Sure they might incur a $40 restocking fee)if they discovered the new model in time.

#2 The new model will allegedly require a more expensive data plan, thus AT&T is getting an instant $10 a month bump in their revenue.

#3 The May 27th date doesn't seem really fair to the swath of customers who purchased the original within the last year. While I wouldn't advocate a totally free swap, at least some type of significant upgrade program would be welcome. (I.e. if you bought a 2g iPhone within the last 3-6 months, credit of $150 will be given out for operational tradeins).

Honestly, this is the kind of stuff I would love to do in practice. Representing the interests of consumers on matters such as these are what get me fired up. I love the advent of new technology and I can completely respect Apple's ability to call the shots and basically operate a business model on whatever terms they want. But it doesn't mean that as a consumer I have to like it.