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Considering the iPhone's front face is nearly all glass, in hand it is much sturdier than you might think. For those who don't feel totally secure with the included one-year warranty however—especially after plunking down between $499 and $599 (and that's before taxes and service)—Apple is now offering an extended warranty through a new AppleCare Protection Plan for iPhone.

For $69, AppleCare extends the iPhone warranty by a year, to two, from the original purchase date. As with the bundled one-year warranty, AppleCare covers hardware repair and technical support; the latter is extended from a mere 90 days to two years.

Apple allows you to sign up for AppleCare until the original warranty runs out. The plan guarantees Apple will repair your iPhone or provide a replacement. Previously, Apple announced a loaner iPhone would be made available for $29 to those getting their device repaired.

Since AppleCare is transferable, should you sell or give your iPhone while it's covered, the new owner may still leverage the plan.

Pleasantly, should you buy Apple's Bluetooth headset, which is sold separately from the iPhone, AppleCare will cover that peripheral as well.

Unfortunately for residents of Alabama, Connecticut, Nevada, and Wyoming, AppleCare is not available for the iPhone in those states.

Previously, Apple announced it would replace the iPhone's non-removable battery for $79 plus $6.95 in shipping and handling—you may also be subject to local taxes as well—should it die after the iPhone’s warranty period.

The replacement procedure will erase all data on you iPhone. So be sure to sync it up with iTunes to back up your contacts, photos, e-mail account settings, text messages, etc. before turning it over to Apple.

Initial iPhone Sales Disappoint
Earlier this week, AT&T—Apple's exclusive carrier-partner—said it sold 146,000 iPhones during the first couple of days of availability. A couple of days later, Apple announced the sale of 246,000 iPhonesduring the device's first 30 hours of availability.

Perhaps the large gap between AT&T and Apple's numbers is because the carrier only counts an iPhone as officially being sold after it is activated. Unlike with most other mobile handsets, iPhone users activate their devices at home through iTunes. As a result, while most customers probably activated their iPhones right away, some may have waited a couple of days. And, if you remember, there were those who had trouble getting their iPhones up in running for a few days.

What ever the number, 146,000 or 246,000, iPhone shipments fell far below analyst expectations of 500,000 to 700,000 and early estimates of up to 1,000,000 units sold. Nonetheless, Apple still expects to sell a million iPhones by September and 10 million next year.