Do I have have to activate the iPhone the day of?

[Edwardz]

Hello.

I am purchasing the 16 GB 3G iPhone on Launch Day. I had a few questions though. Due to financial problems, I cannot activate my at&t plans with the iPhone the day of or even the week of launch day. I am able to buy the iPhone in Apple Stores on July 11th without being forced to activate it the day of, correct? Also, is there a fee for not activating it within 30 days or something? I heard something like that.

Any help would be great. Thanks!

-K

 

[carfac]

No one knows for sure.

Well, someone does, but they are not talking officially.

It LOOKS as if you can "buy it for a friend" and activate within 30 days... but the exact policy is not yet officially published.

 

[NAG]

There is no specific information. All we know is that supposedly they'll be activated in store but if they aren't for some reason you need to activate them by 30 days or AT&T will own your soul or something. They haven't released any specifics.

 

[seenett]

Don't think there is a clear answer on this yet. On the one hand, it's been reported that all activations must take place in store - presumable at point of sale. On the other hand, it was also reported that there will be penalties if the iPhone is not activated within 30 days. Seems to be mutually exclusive scenarios.

 

[DreamPod]

Yes, it must be activated in the store before you leave. The "penalty for not activating in 30 days" thing is in case there's some problem activating it, like the system goes down.

 

[Ish]

If that's the case, wonder what's going to happen come Christmas?

Most people like to buy such stuff a month in advance to make sure they get one rather than leaving it till the last minute. If you have to activate do you lose the first month?

In fact, thinking about it, could you actually buy one as a present at all? For example, you might want to buy the phone for someone, but have them pay the monthly bill.

I'm sure there must be some way it'll be possible. Another wait and see period, though I'm not sure why.

 

[OllyW]

Why not wait until you can afford everything before you buy it ?