iPhone 3G can’t be bought online, requires in-store activation
By David Gonzales on 10 Jun 08So, you’ve finally seen the infamous 3G iPhone. And you know that it’ll be coming to 70 countries starting from July, with an earth-shaterring suggested retail price in the US of $199 USD. As luck would have it, this awesome deal has a catch, dear consumer. They always have a catch.
While you can now see Apple’s iPhone 3G listed up in the Apple Online Store, word is out that you will not be able to actually purchase the phone from there. Instead, Apple and AT&T would have you falling in line at local stores, where you would buy it along with the thousand of others who have been enticed, and wait a minimum of 10 minutes for activation.
It used to be that you can grab yourself an iPhone in the comfort of your own home, through online stores such as Apple’s and AT&T’s. But along with the change in the business model of the iPhone, the ways of buying it also change.
A statement from AT&T confirms that you will only be able to purchase and activate the iPhone 3G in-store.
“There is no question that many enjoyed the convenience of at-home activation, but we also found that many others wanted to complete purchase and activation in one step so they could walk out of the AT&T store with their iPhone up and running. We have decided to take the latter approach and we think customers will like it. It will be especially helpful if any questions or issues arise during activation. They can be resolved on the spot and in-person.
This is the way our wireless phones have been activated for years and customers have been very happy with it.
And, activation should take just a few minutes.”
Does this mean that there won’t be happy days of unlocking shortly after purchase?
Read Dallas News Tech Blog Via Engadget
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