iPhone 3G activation in store only?

The iPhone activation (3G model) will NOT have to take place at your Apple/ATT store. The iPhone CAN be taken home and activated, though if you do not activate the iPhone within 30 days or so there is a $200 fee.

Are you guys insane ? The process will be the same, how the hell do you want to activate 100000 phones sold out of apple stores in the first month taking 10 min per phone in the store ???? Moronic for the person that thought up this crap news. Activation will be the same as before this is all about using the itunes set up and the purchasing of music, video and other apps. This is all about making more money, sell phone at 199 and sell lot's of extra's .... 50% of the phones sold will be to iphone users that already have one, and you wouldn't want that nightmare of frustrated customers lining up in store and bitching about how long it takes plus how they got ripped off paying 2x. Ever wonder how about 200k+ iphone users in Manhattan would do that activation crap in the 3 apple stores ? The line would stretch for miles......

Every stop putting out rumors that are baseless hear say, what a load of crap !

This sucks. 2-yr contract with AT&T........... no way. Especially in Europe people like switching their sim cards and carriers, WTF? Apple shame on you. I want the option to buy a more expensive unlocked iphone. What about current iphone users, they will give them a ''free'' upgrade and make them sign again a contract.....

Oh how I love my iPhone 1.0 :)

Well, so much for jailbreaking... Given the difficult activation/purchase process now, I imagine that eBay phones will be super expensive. I'm lucky enough to live in an area where there is no AT&T coverage, so it sounds like jailbreaking a phone and using it on my local GSM network isn't going to happen. Thanks a lot Apple, I was ready to buy.

OMG this is too confusing. at&t says in-store activation while Apple says the normal iTunes activation. There is no clear consensus on this matter. I do believe that is one reason why July 11th will be the release day, not only because of available stock but to settle this. Yes there are reports from high level at&t people but until there is a press release it's all open game. In-store activation would make July 11th a nightmare when the whole system crashes because of excess load. Come on this is at&t we're talking about, not the sharpest of the bunch.

For this to be true it would seem that one of three things has to also be true. 1) Apple will no longer sell iPhones in their stores or on their website. 2) Apple will become an AT&T reseller to be able to perform activations. Or, 3), You will have to purchase the iPhone at an Apple store, and then add some money at home through iTunes. None of these things make sense. Remember, AT&T reps are the ones that said, until the day of release, that there would be a business plan for the iPhone on the first day. AT&T reps, generally, have no idea what they are talking about.

This really does beg the questions:
* What about iPhones purchased as gifts? The givers won't want to (or even be able to) sign the recipient up for service.
* Those with bad credit (I have such a colleague with an iPhone) who cannot get approved for a 2 year contract. I doubt Apple and AT&T have suddenly decided they don't want those customers' money.

So does this mean we won't be able to buy an iPhone in the US for use in a foreign country? Damn why don't they just sell an unlocked model for use anywhere?

Apple and AT&T Announce iTunes Activation and Sync for iPhone

Already Familiar to Tens of Millions of iPod Users

CUPERTINO, California and ATLANTA—June 26, 2007—Apple® and AT&T Inc. today announced that iPhone™ users will be able to activate their new iPhones using Apple’s popular iTunes® software running on a PC or Mac® computer in the comfort and privacy of their own home or office, without having to wait in a store while their phone is activated. Activating iPhone takes only minutes as iTunes guides the user through simple steps to choose their service plan, authorize their credit and activate their iPhone. Once iPhone is activated, users can then easily sync all of their phone numbers and other contact information, calendars, email accounts, web browser bookmarks, music, photos, podcasts, TV shows and movies just like they do when they sync their iPods with iTunes.

“Users will be able to activate their new iPhone in the comfort and privacy of their own home or office, without having to wait in a store while their phone is activated,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “There are tens of millions of people in the US who already know how to sync their iPods with iTunes, and syncing their new iPhone with iTunes works the same way.”

“iPhone’s user-driven activation is another example of how AT&T and Apple have partnered to bring innovative new features to our customers,” said Randall Stephenson, chairman and CEO, AT&T. “iPhone’s innovative activation and sync is just one example of how this is going to be a real industry game-changer.”