AT&T now offers iPhone 3G home activation, for real this time
All you potential iPhone 3G buyers who loathe the thought of having to go into an AT&T store to activate your newly purchased phone can rejoice today as AT&T has finally enabled home activation for the iPhone 3G. This time it is not some convoluted pre-activation process, this is the real deal. Buy the phone online, receive it at your home or office, and activate the phone via iTunes from the comfort of your computer. While we haven’t spoken to any of our ninjas to confirm this yet, we did speak to three customer service reps as well as someone in the office of the President – each confirming that at-home activation is a go. Note that for the time being, it looks like only new account and new line activations apply. Those looking to upgrade your current equipment will still have to head down to a store. Happy iPhone 3G home shopping y’all!
[Via Gadgetell]
They never should have taken this away in the first place. At least new customers can be happy.
Adam – For clarification’s sake, you can also add a line to an existing account so it’s not only for new customers. Only equipments upgrades are disallowed for the time being.
ATT Premier adds 3G iPhone upgrade option too… My belief is that ATT is trying to sell as many 8GB 3G iPhones as possible since most new users are tempted by low price. This way, when 32GB iPhone is released in Jan 2009, they will be all set to go!
So it’s back to how it was for the original iPhone? Will people be able to take them and just unlock them now?
This isn’t surprising with the upcoming iPhone sales at Wal-mart they are going to want those customers to be able to do it from home rather than buy the phone at Wal-mart then have to go to the store.
Walmart phones will be activated in-store, as well. Most of the training they’re undergoing over there is on the new system that is being installed to process activations.
@Dips
That is exactly why it was taken away, because of Dipshits like this, who wanted to “just unlock them”.
This has been an option since day 1 of the iPhone 3G for some Premier accounts. I ordered mine on launch day from the Premier web site, received it, and activated it through iTunes.
You still had to sign up for a 2 year contract, and you’ll still have to do so to buy one through the new process, as the phone is subsidized.
What’s wrong with gettin an unlcoked 3g. AT&T sucks ballz. That goes for the company and the user with the name.
Sorry unlocked
What’s wrong with gettin an unlcoked 3g?
Violating iPhone’s user agreement, so it’s as bad as stealing, you scumbag mofo… Basically Apple makes them for AT&T customers, others have their shitty storms and G1s…
@[RM]
LOL. You’re hilarious as satire. I sure hope you’re not real.
At the end of the day the iPhone is just a toy anyway. Walmart is the perfect place for it.
Another way for At&t to avoid paying their sales people commission… Get your lazzy asses to a store and buy one!!
No freakin’ kidding
Weird. I ordered one yesterday, but when I checked my order status this morning it went from in process to cancelled but no reason given. No email update from ATT to explain. And now the ability to buy one again is gone. Anyone know what the deal is? Guess I need to do the pre-order routing at the Apple store instead…
It is unlike the first-gen iPhone w.r.t. home activation. With the first-gen, you could buy the phone outright, then give it to someone without ever having to sign away two-years. Thus, easy gifts to friends for Pick-Your-Plan activation or hacktivaion/unlocking.
Here, you have to sign your life away first, then get the phone later. It’s no different than other phone sales, and the polar opposite compared to the first-gen iPhone.
Also, why they aren’t allowing this on upgrades currently (with the exception of via Premiere): they can make sure that someone doesn’t somehow keep/change to grandfathered or cheapo data plans on a new on-contract phone (by requiring a rep remove old/cheap data plans from the account pre-sale).
It’s pretty much what bb ATT said, it’s another way to sell phones without giving store reps or dealers kickback.
Love the website! USA
I bought an unlocked 3G iphone in HongKong without simcard and plan at all. I brought the iphone here in Australia, but it doesnt work. I dont know How to activate it. the iphone just shows a usb port heading to itunes logo. When I connect it ti itunes, the itunes requires a valid sim card coming with the iphone.
Help me please..thx
Bambang
use quickpwn