According to a new blog post by Nielsen, the unexpected price drop of the iPhone 3G to $99, now that it's to be superseded by the iPhone 3G S on Friday June 19th, could cause devastating repercussions for the mobile industry.

The main reason most consumers haven't opted for the iPhone yet, according to the news service's survey, is price. But now that price might not be quite such an issue, it's been looking at the impact this affordable, highly sought after handset could have.

While it seems a little dramatic to suggest the iPhone 3G is 'kneecapping the industry', it is easy to see how other manufacturers and carriers are going to have to adjust their plans, and adjust them quickly.

Competing with the iPhone is hard enough, but should the large number of Android handsets appear on the market at a price point that makes them unjustifiable to the consumer in contrast to Apple's device, a lot of investment will have been flushed away.

The report also suggests that the impact will hit carriers, who will be forced to further subsidise handset sales to make them competitive, which will ultimately knock on to the customer through call and data prices.

But pinning the industry's troubles on the success of the iPhone is a cheap shot. Carriers and manufacturers take little interest in the fact that consumers are broke, too, and like so many huge, conglomerate-led industries have done in the past, it's trying to bend the market to its own will rather than adjust its tactics to meet changing consumer demands.

The mistake that most mobile companies have made is to think that avaricious business practices were the norm, but apparently that only counts in a recession if you've got the hottest product on the market.