Report: Rumored iPhone "home activation" is more like "home pre-approval"

Jordan Golson — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 11:45:18 -0700

A rumor from a few days ago on Gizmodo hinted that in-home iPhone activation might be coming soon -- which would be a huge relief to folks who aren't looking forward to waiting half an hour to buy a phone. Sadly, a new report pours water on that theory -- kind of.

When the original iPhone was released, a big deal was made of how easy it was to purchase. All users had to do was walk into an Apple or AT&T store, fork over $500 and walk out. Then, in the comfort of their own home, customers would hook their phones up to iTunes, pick a cell phone plan, and be on their way. It was great. I activated my iPhone with my laptop 30 feet from the Apple Store entrance.

With the iPhone 3G, to combat phone unlockers who could buy bulk phones over the counter previously, all phones sold in the US had to be activated in-store -- a lengthy process that took anywhere from 10 minutes to more than an hour, depending in the customer. This resulted in astoundingly long lines and hours-long waits to purchase phones.

A story at Boy Genius Report claims that customers will be able to pre-qualify themselves at home by choosing cellular contract details and billing information, significantly reducing the amount of time spent in-store. However, phones will still need to be activated before they can leave the store. The old system of "pick up and walk out" is still AWOL. A better system to be sure, but still not as easy for customers as it could be.

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Report: Rumored iPhone "home activation" is more like "home pre-approval"