No purchase or activation of the 3G iPhone online
As part of a new plan to prevent cracked iPhones, the 3G iPhone will not be sold online. Also, activation of your plan must be done in-store as well. You will now be unable to go to an Apple store and just buy an iPhone; you are obligated to sign a contract for a service plan in order to purchase a phone. Apple has yet to discover any 3G iPhone cracking programs, but they are doing this as a preemptive strike against possible unlocks. In the WWDC keynote, Steve pointed out that many phones had been unlocked, and these actions are a result of those actions. No pre-orders for the phone are available either, so expect sizable lines at Apple stores around the world come July 11th.
Some people may have been ecstatic when they heard the price drop to $199 (now cheaper then an iPod Touch), only to have their joy squashed by the fact that you must pay an arm and a leg for service. AT&T’s voice-only (no data) plans start at $40, and data plans start at $30. I think that a pay-as-you-go option could be a good move by AT&T and Apple for those who want an amazing Apple product without the constraints of insane AT&T prices.
Do you think the price of the plans are worth it? What do you think of Apple’s actions against cracking? Sound off in the comments below.
Via [MacRumors]
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Honestly, I think people are going to pay for those crazy AT&T;rates no matter what.
My crackberry plan on AT&T;costs me about 90 bucks a month, and that’s with the lowest talk plan attached to it. I don’t use my minutes as much- I use my data plan far more often. But when iPhone 3G comes out, I’ll upgrade to that plan. Sure, it sucks paying 90+ a month, but if I have to pay 90+ a month, I want an iPhone. And that’s what AT&T;and Apple know- people will pay that premium for the phone. For example, my friends who have the current iPhone were willing to pay the premium to have the phone, despite the constraints it presents.
A Pay-as-you-go option would be great, but I don’t see that happening anytime soon.
on June 10, 2008 at 03:48 PM - LINKWell, in the UK, O2 is now offering pay-as-you-go plans, and now that Apple and AT&T;’s revenue sharing deal is over, it may be more possible then we think.
on June 10, 2008 at 03:54 PM - LINKReally? But what about customers already signed up for a contract? Are they outta luck then?
on June 10, 2008 at 04:02 PM - LINKI think they may have to prove that they already have a plan and sign a contract promising to use that contract for their new phone.
on June 10, 2008 at 04:14 PM - LINKIf AT&T;offered a pay as you GO plan I’ll buy one on July 11, if not I’m waiting till they do. I just don’t use a phone that much to justify it. Seems dumb of AT&T;...Why limit your customer base?
on June 27, 2008 at 08:51 PM - LINKI have a white iPhone and do not have any cracks. It is clear to me that these iPhone that have cracks were dropped. If you drop it it will crack. Simple as that! DONT DROP IT then complain that its cracked. Buy a good protective case and thats it.
on August 6, 2008 at 05:59 PM - LINKI have the original iPhone, and have no problem with the fees. Of course we would always like cheaper. But for unlimited data I don’t feel this is unreasonable and it is not that different from other phones with other carriers with data plans.
on August 19, 2008 at 03:10 PM - LINKAbout 3 or 4 years ago I used AT&T;. Got tired of the service and switched to Verizon. The end of last year I got an iPhone and have been very happy with AT&T;’s service this time around. Since they acquired Cingular it has been great.