We’re going to be upfront and say that we’re not sure what to make of this. Blogger Derek Punsalan was picking up a BlackBerry Pearl from a Cingular shop, when, lo and behold, there was a note at the bottom that said:

iPhone for DEREK PUNSALAN

2 YR Agreement SAVINGS $150.00

According to Punsalan, he never mentioned the iPhone to any staffer, so this doesn’t indicate being put on any waiting list or as a reminder for customers who have expressed interest in the iPhone. iPhone World, which has a staffer that has a mutual friend of Punsalan, says he’s almost certainly being honest in his account of what happened, and as forthright as he seems to have been, we’re inclined to agree. He’s also not alone, as another person reported a similar experience in the comments on his blog:

I have the same thing at the bottom of my receipt. I actually just switched to Cingular this weekend from T-Mobile in anticipation of getting the iPhone when it comes out. I told the sales rep my intentions in the store so I just thought that she annotated on the receipt that I was interested in getting an iphone when it comes out for CRM purposes or something.

The fact that anything showed up at all about the iPhone on these receipts could simply be the result of a glitch, but we’re wondering if it has anything to do with what products or services are purchased. Perhaps those buying devices in a similar product category as the iPhone (things like the Pearl or Treo) are being selected to view the blurb, or perhaps it’s based on a customer profile that marks them as likely to be interested in the iPhone.

As for whether this discount is for real, that’s hard to say. There are three possibilities that seem most likely, it seems to us. The first is that the prices Apple has given for the iPhone already take into account the iPhone. It could be that the iPhone will be listed as costing $750 and $650, but then with the contract and discount, you’ll pay the expected $500 and $600. The second possibility (and hope of hopes) is that the $500 and $600 price tag is before the discount, and we’ll all walk out of the store $150 richer than we expected, paying a measly $350 or $450 for our iPhones.

The third possibility, and maybe the most likely, is that this really is just a glitch or some sort of nonsense that will turn out to be nothing.

Filed under: iPhone News, Rumor