No need for name calling.
Like I said, once they stop manufacturing a device they may implement some sort of activation limits in their system, idk. But I do know you can sit on these devices for months and the warranty doesn't start to run until you activate the device for the first time. I have done this many, many times. I know what I am talking about.
I am sure that there are some limitations on it but for devices that are still being manufactured, the warranty doesn't start to run until you activate the device for the first time.
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If you purchase direct from Apple your warranty starts when it's shipped. Had with every iPhone I've purchased be it in store or via the site.
I bought quite a few iPhones from Apple stores during the Apple Verizon UDP glitch and all but 1 they let me leave the store without activating the phone. Every single one off those iP6/6+ that they let me leave the store with unactivated the warranty did not start to run until I activated the device.
Only 1 rep wouldn't let me leave the store with an unactivated phone and he said it was required to activate the phone in-store. All of the others did let me leave with unactivated phones. And I did a lot of those lines as did others.
Same for the iP6s/6s+ I bought from Apple store directly last fall.
Maybe they will change things for the iP7, idk, but for the iP6/6+/6s/6s+ IME the warranty does not start to run until you activate them for the first time EVEN IF YOU BUY THEM DIRECTLY FROM APPLE STORES. Whether or not you can get them to let you leave with an unactivated device, that is YMMV. But during the holidays, I got them to let me leave with unactivated devices.
Now with the ones that Apple ships to you, if you used an upgrade to buy them in order to activate them you have to input the last 4 of your SSN and your billing zip code, so don't even think of trying to sell a sealed iPhone if you used a carrier upgrade through Apple and shipped to home - the buyer won't be able to activate it w/o the last 4 of your SSN and billing zip code.
The only possible exception I can think of is if you add a new line through Apple online and activate a different SIM card and phone on the line without first changing the phone number on the line. That may initiate an activation. It's been awhile since I have done that and I can't remember for sure what happened so that may be an exception.
For the new lines I added through Verizon to get iPSEs with the $300 off code, those the warranty did not start to run until the devices were activated.
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Since I'll be the first to activate said device, will Apple honor the 1-year warranty?
When you get the sealed iPhone, go online here and check the warranty info:
https://checkcoverage.apple.com/
It will say the device has not yet been activated if the box is sealed with the shrink wrap. Then after you activate it for the first time, it will show you the warranty expiration date is 1 year from the day you first activated the device.
Also, ask the swappa seller to do that before you buy and post a screen shot of what the result is. I have sold many, many sealed iPhones and this is how it worked with all of them, including the ones I purchased directly from Apple. It is possible that they changed something recently with the ones that ship directly from China. But for the ones you buy from Apple stores as recently as the fall of 2015 and the ones you buy from Verizon, as recently as June 2016, the warranty did not start to run until I activated them.
It makes sense that the ones shipped directly to you from China would be different since those are never going to be sitting on a shelf before they are sold. I suspect that is the only exception to the rule and as long as the device does not ship directly to you from China, the warranty doesn't start to run until you activate them.