3G iPhone to be in-store activated; free upgrade for recent buyers
Apple in the US will attempt to stifle the proliferation of unlocked iPhones by requiring that all of the new handsets be activated at the time of purchase. Meanwhile, first-gen iPhones purchased after May 27 will reportedly be eligible for a free up…
iPhone 3G Pricing and Activation Details: $30 Unlimited Data, Activated In Store Only
We just talked to AT&T’s President of National Distribution Glenn Lurie, who gave us all the pricing and activation details for the iPhone 3G, which won’t be getting special treatment anymore. It will be using all AT&T’s standard voice and data plans, which means $30 for unlimited 3G data for consumers, $45 for business users on top of voice. Also, no in-home activation for iPhone 3G it will have to be activated in store (at AT&T or Apple Store), which takes 10-12 minutes, meaning that first day line is going to SUCK. And you will have to camp out, since there won’t be any online ordering at launch and Glenn was mum on how many phones there’d be to go around.
Supposedly the network will be ready, even if the supply won’t be. I asked him four different ways if it was ready for the onslaught of millions of 3G data phones and he said “absolutely” each time, and that they’ve planned for it. What’s unclear is how many units they’ve planned for the first day. He said they expected “high” demand but nobody knows what the “full demand” will be, in response to my question about meeting demand.
For people who care about the business end of things, the other way that the iPhone 3G isn’t special in regards to AT&T anymore is that AT&T subsidizing it like any other phone means that the old revenue-sharing program is out. Basically, other than letting Apple sell and activate the iPhone 3G at Apple Stores, the model is the same they have with everyone else, like RIM or Sammy. More details on everything will be coming from AT&T in the next week or so.
Update: Interesting point from Apple Gazette about ending Apple ending revenue-sharing with AT&T it means we might have to pay for future feature updates to the iPhone 3G since Apple won’t be getting those monthly checks, thanks to those “accounting purposes.” Obviously we don’t know for sure yet. Besides, SDK might make it a moot point.
Update 2: David alerts us to this bit from Dow Jones’ report: “AT&T and Apple are working on a form of penalty for users who don’t activate their iPhone within 30 days of purchase.” Whoa. Guess that’ll cut down on unlockers, eh? [AT&T]
Engadget posts details of iPhone 3G firmware
We’re all eagerly awaiting what must be the worst kept secret ever in mobile technology announcements next week, but up until now some of the detailed features of the iPhone 3G have been subject to speculation and debate. Earlier tonight, Engadget posted a preliminary firmware spec of the next iPhone; it includes tri-band HSDPA for near-global high speed data coverage, and an A-GPS unit for the location awareness we crave.
Interestingly, the internal build number on the firmware is quoted as “n82ap” (as compared to the original iPhone’s “m68ap” designation). Remember back in February, when Erica noted an “N82″ platform indicator in the iPhone’s supported platform list? Isn’t that special.
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Filed under: iPhone
iToner by Ambrosia Software lets iPhone owners put an unlimited number of custom ringtones onto their phones with no hacks and no per-ringtone fees. We’ve written about iToner several times, and interviewed Ambrosia’s president Andrew Welch about the future of the product.
This week, iToner 1.0.7 was made available. Changes include:
iToner allows for drag-and-drop ringtone sync, support for MP3, AAC, WAVE, and AIFF files and the ability to assign specific ringtones to certain contacts.
This is a free upgrade to registered users. iToner costs $15US, requires Mac OS X 10.4.10 or later, and is a Universal Binary application.
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Trivia Why?s Daily Quiz
Specifically created for the iPhone and iPod Touch but playable in any modern web browser, Trivia Why’s Daily Quiz keeps you sharp with a few minutes of exercise for the left side of your brain and a touch of wit for the right. Know all the answers? Congratulations, you’re a trivia genius! Not so sharp [...]
