Yesterday we
went over a few of the more confusing bits of the iPhone 3G launch -- and let's be honest, this launch is way more confusing than the original go-round. Of course, there were a lot of burning questions to be answered from the audience, so we got an AT&T spokesperson to weigh in on what's on your mind. The most surprising answer? Contrary to reports implying otherwise, AT&T pretty much categorically claims that no matter where you buy your iPhone 3G, be it from AT&T or Apple, you have to walk out of the store an activated customer. Check it all out over on
Engadget!
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Juice @ Jun 13th 2008 12:47PM
Darn those relationships they have. This should be an unlocked world...
slamEVIL @ Jun 13th 2008 1:57PM
it is*
*for winmo, symbian, uiq...
Razor1973 @ Jun 13th 2008 5:32PM
slamEVIL, UIQ is no O/S. You actually already mentioned the O/S just before it: Symbian.
Juice @ Jun 13th 2008 12:58PM
Do Apple employees get any % from new contract sales?
TJ @ Jun 13th 2008 1:02PM
Funny how they say "no comment" . Sounds like they're hiding something. Oh well. This is to be expected from a company that uses Chinese labor camps to make millions. Wonder how they sleep at night.
farinasa @ Jun 15th 2008 12:36PM
Comfortably.
TJ @ Jun 13th 2008 1:37PM
There's a potential major riot waiting to happen concerning they're refusal to announce whether it's going to be available without a new 2 year. if they decide to postpone the announcement until well after the actual release of the phone. Say for instance August 1st comes around and then they decide to announce that you can now buy it for 399.99 without a new contract. All hell is going to break loose and those people who had to sign a 2 year are going to be pissed.
TheSuburbanWhiteBoy @ Jun 13th 2008 2:04PM
Wow, that sucks, glad I'm on T-mobile and glad I have an unlocked iphone I just paid 200 dollars to someone who thinks there going to get this "great" new device... it may be faster, but I'm not going to have a splitting headache on the 11th.
Jason Peterson @ Jun 13th 2008 11:47PM
There will be no such thing as "Non Commitment Pricing" however, they have not decided what the price will be for customers who do not qualify for 2 year upgrade pricing. For right now, only new contacts, qualified upgrade customers, and iPhone 2G customers can take advantage of the full discounted pricing.
The activation process goes like this:
Customer comes into Apple or AT&T store, sets up account (runs credit, picks plan, picks data features), IMEI of iPhone is put onto the account, and phone is tethered in store for activation. They are basically treating the iPhone 3G more like a regular phone in that it is subject to two year sale pricing requirements like every other phone and that it gets activated in store. I don't see where the headache comes in to play...
Just the $0.02 of an AT&T employee.
derX @ Jun 14th 2008 8:21PM
The headache is that it can only be activated in-store. I have never bought a device in a store--and trust me I have had A LOT--I always order them online. I, for one, would not like to have to wait in a long line to get a phone, and this is only if they're still in stock after I've waited in line for a year and a day. God only knows how many days--maybe weeks--after its release it will take lines to be bearable.
Jason Peterson @ Jun 13th 2008 11:47PM
I just posted this exact thing in another article, but here it is again. Hopefully this will help.
There will be no such thing as "Non Commitment Pricing" however, they have not decided what the price will be for customers who do not qualify for 2 year upgrade pricing. For right now, only new contacts, qualified upgrade customers, and iPhone 2G customers can take advantage of the full discounted pricing.
The activation process goes like this:
Customer comes into Apple or AT&T store, sets up account (runs credit, picks plan, picks data features), IMEI of iPhone is put onto the account, and phone is tethered in store for activation. They are basically treating the iPhone 3G more like a regular phone in that it is subject to two year sale pricing requirements like every other phone and that it gets activated in store. I don't see where the headache comes in to play... I just hope they announce the non-qualified price soon so customers quit calling the store every 5 minutes...
Just the $0.02 of an AT&T employee.
Jason Peterson @ Jun 13th 2008 11:48PM
Oops, double post.
Sorry.
Rob @ Jun 14th 2008 12:29AM
For any AT&T employees that may know. Can you activate the new iPhone on a PDA personal plan for $35 per month? Just curious since it seems like it is being treated like a standard PDA for data access.
tnschiferl @ Jun 14th 2008 10:24PM
i'm just glad they didnt put the mask guy in this picture.... that freaks me out...... ugh. i might never come back to this site if they do that again
slamEVIL @ Jun 15th 2008 7:43PM
don't worry, it'll be another year until they do that. say...NEXT Friday the 13th???