iPhone Restrictions and My Mobile Cluster

Why is it that you can’t buy an iPhone if you don’t have a US ID (e.g. driver’s license) and a credit card issued by an US bank? I found this out today when I brought one of my friends from Singapore to the Apple Store. By the way, you’re also limited only to 2 iPhones even if you have the ID and the credit card. This was reported in the NY Times a few weeks ago, excerpt below:“Customer response to the iPhone has been off the charts, and limiting iPhone sales to two per customer helps us ensure that there are enough iPhones for people who are shopping for themselves or buying a gift,” Ms. Kerris said. “We’re requiring a credit or debit card for payment to discourage unauthorized resellers.”Apparently the ID requirement is “new”, according to our very helpful Genius at the Apple Store. I think the specific explanation was “They keep adding new things we have to check.”Hmm… what is Apple doing?Finally, I have an AT&T plan that has 3G, which means I’m kind of locked into the Samsung Blackjack (I don’t like it, there is no wired headset other than Bluetooth, which doesn’t work very well, and when I use the phone to talk I almost always get a headache). But the iPhone has no 3G, so browsing the web would have to be on EDGE, which would make the experience slow. Plus, Genius told me that it can’t support AT&T’s overseas mobile networks (esp in Asia), so I’d have to continue to use my Blackjack while overseas. I suppose I could use the Wi-Fi feature on the iPhone to solve the browsing problem, but last I checked AT&T doesn’t have a good hotspot plan like T-mobile.So while I have an US ID, a valid US credit card, AND I haven’t bought any iPhones yet, I decided against getting an iPhone for now. I hope that later on when I want one there won’t be further restrictions added on like proof of income based on last year’s tax return or proof that I own a Mac (I do) and an iPod (would the iPod Nano count?)