To clarify, I activated the phone with the SIM in. It was the standard activation procedure that anyone would use - connect to my Mac, activate through iTunes (only took a couple of minutes on Saturday morning), started using it. At around 3PM EST or so on Sunday, I pulled the SIM and have had it removed ever since.
When I activated the phone, I did so as a new AT&T customer with a new number. I have kept my Verizon service and my Verizon phone (Treo 700w) active while I play with the iPhone, so not having the phone features available on the iPhone isn't a problem. I will likely keep the SIM out for several days just to see what happens, if anything.
My gut feeling tells me that once you activate the phone, that's it. In other words, I don't think Apple would go any further than to cripple the device beyond initial activation. Requiring ongoing service in order for the device to be usable just doesn't benefit Apple. They're in the hardware business, after all. By requiring initial activation, they fulfill a contractual obligation with AT&T. Going beyond that to have the device "check-in" with AT&T's network at set intervals in order to remain usable seems like something Apple would balk at.
Of course, I could be dead wrong and I wonder about a few things:
- Will the phone try to do some sort of "check-in" with AT&T's network and, if it can't because of a removed SIM, will the device get locked after so many attempts or so many days without being able to contact the network?
- If I choose to cancel service and then re-insert the SIM, will the device then get locked?
- Will a SIM with current service be required to be inserted in order to perform a firmware update?
All of these are good questions that I won't know the answer to for a while. Hopefully though, my gut is right. If so, anyone could buy the phone, activate it, then cancel service and still be able to use all other features. According to the TOS, the activation fee is refunded if you cancel within the first 3 days. I don't know if you'd be on the hook for a pro-rated share of the first month's service, but if you were and you deactivated service within those first 3 days, you're only looking at a few dollars if you choose the $59.99 plan during activation as a new customer.
Jeff