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Jun 30, 08 - 12:56 pm Comment from: ChaseWebb

Oh lovely. A nice greasy AT&T;rep fondling my new iPhone.

Jun 30, 08 - 12:59 pm Comment from: Demon

You got to love the iCrowds..

Guess all iPhone arrive to AT&T;as iBricks..

Sounds like AT&T;needs to talk with iTemps for some temp employees.

If Steve Jobs hadn't sold out for that AT&T;subsidy, we'd be able to walk in and out of stores just like we did a year ago.

Jun 30, 08 - 01:12 pm Comment from: Predrag

It's amusing, though, to see even AT&T adopt the 'i' nomenclature.

There's no denying it, they'lre not leaving anything to chance. I'm sure we'll see similar crowds as last year. The only serious concern is the in-store activation. This will significantly worsen Apple user experience. On the other hand, it may make lines go much slower, thereby creating the impression of even greater initial demand. And publicity never hurt anyone ("There's no such thing as bad publicity except your own obituary." -- Brendan Behan).

Jun 30, 08 - 01:38 pm Comment from: Jay-Z

@ R2:

This is one of the few instances where Apple has sacrificed consumer experience in favor of the bigger picture. I think waiting a few minutes for someone to activate the iPhone is a small price to pay to ensure that Apple dominates the mobile market. Moreover, once they are selling millions of these, maybe they'll have the leverage they need to implement a plan that reintroduces iTunes activation while ensuring that carriers see the return on their subsidy.

Jun 30, 08 - 01:38 pm Comment from: eMax

I just hope the supply is as good as iPhone 1.0 I camped out and i didnt need to, the store had a zillion of them the next day.

Ill be waiting for week 2.0 to replace my 1.0.

Sounds like they have enough supply to last the weekend. Maybe I'll cruise up to the Apple Store Saturday morning and get mine. Anyone see any details about upgrades from previous iPhone?

Jun 30, 08 - 01:50 pm Comment from: HMCIV

Let the iRiots begin.

Jun 30, 08 - 01:51 pm Comment from: Willie G

@ R2 and Chaseweb.

I really don't understand your gripe. In store activation is standard operating procedure for any and every cell-phone on the market today, with the exception being those little cheap POS pre-pays you buy at the drugstore.

And @Jay-Z...

Apple didn't 'sacrifice' anything. The unique consumer experience was ruined for us all by black-market opportunists.

<< If Steve Jobs hadn't sold out for that AT&T;subsidy, we'd be able to walk in and out of stores just like we did a year ago. >>


I'd rather pay more for the iPhone, activate it myself than have AT&T;'s iTemps messing with my new phone.

Steve screwed up- part of the Apple experience was taking the thing home and controlling the process yourself- when I bought the original- i thought Id have to wait for the store to activate- when i found out it was a do-it-yourself thing; i thought to myself- "this is why I love Apple"- too bad.

Jun 30, 08 - 02:03 pm Comment from: nekogami13

Yes R2, how dare Apple attempt to make money.
The nerve of them, one might get the impression that they are a business or something!

If you have to sign an agreement to get a phone, then it seems redundant to physically activate the device at POS as well. Even if I run off and resell the device, I still would owe AT&T;an ETF upon cancellation of my contract, which greatly affects potential profit.

Unbricking the phones at POS is pointless. It only serves to waste people's time.

Jun 30, 08 - 02:06 pm Comment from: Jay-Z

@ Willie G:

I think they could have figured out a way to do the iTunes activation with the subsidy (charging credit card $300 if the iPhone isn't activated through iTunes within 30 days is an example), but they chose in-store activation as the easy route. That's why I think they sacrificed the user experience instead of coming up with a sophisticated solution to the problem.

Then again, for all we know, maybe they did propose something like that and the carriers said "no way, José." Who knows... I just think there had to be a way to retain the iTunes activation model without jeopardizing the carriers' subsidy investment.

"I'd rather pay more for the iPhone, activate it myself than have AT&T;'s iTemps messing with my new phone."

AT&T;'s not going to subsidize the phones then let 700,000 of them go overseas. AT&T;were probably prepared to let Steve be stupid when playing with his money (The now failed ongoing revenue stream scheme) but are not going to be stupid when playing with theirs.

"I really don't understand your gripe. In store activation is standard operating procedure for any and every cell-phone on the market today..."

WRONG! Activation is necessary if you want to buy a phone at the subsidized price (say $99 on a two year contract). But I can go into any Verizon store or Sprint or AT&T;or T-Mobile as well as Motorola online and buy a Razr with no contract for $200-$300. I know because I do it all the time. I never sign contracts and I gladly pay more money up front for the freedom.

That doesn't seem to be the case with the iPhone. Unless they're going to reveal plans for unsubsidized iPhones, Apple and AT&T;go a step further because they're so scared of gray marketeers. They even took away the prepay option!

So Steve Jobs sold out for the carrier subsidy and helped tighten the carrier noose around our necks rather than loosen it. He has become a part of the problem instead of the solution unlike Nokia who's been virtually blackballed by American carriers for failing to play the game their way. What's next, an AT&T;logo when you boot up the iPhone?

Jun 30, 08 - 02:12 pm Comment from: Jay-Z

@ Willie G:

Now that I think about it, what sucks here is our innate desire for instant gratification. Because we think $199 is such a deal over $399, even though it includes an additional $10 a month commitment, Apple had to change the model to get the subsidy. If people weren't so shortsighted, they'd see the value in the original price, but we don't think ahead. THAT'S the real reason behind this change, not black market opportunists (who, let's face it, really didn't hurt AT&T;at all because AT&T;didn't have to put out any money for the phone before it was on a contract).

I'm planning on buying mine at the Apple store (brick-and-mortar).

Jun 30, 08 - 03:12 pm Comment from: Jay-Z

@ Apple store:

If you're in the U.S., your only choices are a brick-and-mortar Apple Store or an AT&T;Store (not sure if AT&T;will allow you to purchase online).

Jun 30, 08 - 04:09 pm Comment from: Jim - TIV

I just think it's surreal that there is an ad for the mororazr V8 at the bottom of this iphone thread

Jun 30, 08 - 10:33 pm Comment from: alansky

@R2:

I understand where you're coming from, but isn't it possible that Steve Jobs has had very little choice about playing ball with one big carrier or another in order to get the iPhone into the marketplace at all? Your claim that Steve has gone over to the Dark Side strikes me as an extreme and unfounded reaction to the realities of doing business. Steve Jobs would make a deal with the Devil himself (he already did that: he borrowed money from Microsoft) to turn his dreams into reality, but he wouldn't donate money to the Devil's re-election campaign! IMHO, he has less than no interest in helping the carriers to tighten their noose around our necks (look at his position on DRM), but that part of the equation does not appear to be under his control at this time. Stay tuned.

Get your head out of your ass you self-centered fool.

It look like small minded SBC aka the new AT&T;is up to no good yet again.... sadly crap in / crap out all over the only good think to come out of SBC in years. i.e the iPhone, both models!

The folks at AT&T;aren't happy till they've dished out a full load of paperwork with every sell... you would have through they would have learned something from the first launch...NOT!

These guys are nothing less than control freaks, i.e. republican/busism which is mucj like the old fascist same the fact that now there christian fascist!

One more reason to vote for Obama and put an end to America's nightmare with Bushism!