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Mark my words. We will have confirmation within 24 hours...
The iPhone3G will go on sale at 8AM EST Friday July 11.

This is based on two reasons:
1--In store activation taking too much time (main logical reason)
2--Waiting in line all day in plazas, malls and centers during BUSINESSS hours created a less than ideal environment for all of the other businesses trying to operate.
a--People using the bathrooms
b--parking
c--people afraid to even go to the stores near the lines
d--need for security all day
e--need to care for people in the potential heat and sun all day. If the lines are at night, no need to babysit while the store, mall, center is closed. Reduced liability. When the stores are open and people are in line the potential for heat related illness increases and so does the managment's liability.

Source; my brain.


i think it will be 8am due to the activation process... but as far as the a-e excuses, they didnt care about that last year lol
 
This is not proof of anything but that someone can type words on a screen.

(IMAGE)

Like I said before, I hope it is true, it just cant be verified with the information provided.

As as side note, someone make a count, I think I have broken some sort of record for being quoted in a thread.


I realize that if i left the names in here we wouldn't have had this issuse, however I value my friends and wouldn't do anything to get them in trouble. Please take my word for it... I know that this place is full of rumors and such... however, I have no reason to make stuff up... I leave that to the fame hogs... I just like spreading the word... a modern day Jesus... (not even close)...
 
i think it will be 8am due to the activation process... but as far as the a-e excuses, they didnt care about that last year lol

I think that the a-e factors may have been discussed after last year. However; I agree that the overwhelming reason for a 8AM launch is the instore activation process.
 
hopefully its all done through itunes still and doesnt require much effort to activate... shouldnt take too long to get someone in and out the door.
 
Which AT&T stores? I called six corporate stores (above) and all said they didn't know and hadn't received any info.

Did you speak to the store manager? They are the ones who got the memo. Many or most of them probably have not shared that information yet with their staff, as it is not relevant until they actually schedule it.
 
I love the arguments over some stores saying 8am and others not knowing. If you have ever worked for any company that has a huge chain of stores you would know that there is no way the stores would all get the same information at the same time. Someone at the top tells someone who heads a division or state and the individual store managers are and the bottom of at least a 3 level chain of command.

Every stores information depends on everyone higher in the chain either being there or paying attention enough to pass it down the chain to the next lower level. At each level you could easily have someone who either does not care if those below them know ahead of time or they could be focused primarily on hitting a sales goal for a different device that is going to get them a fat bonus if they hit quota.

It could even be a store manager too busy to read all their mail or who does not want their employees to risk loosing todays sale on tomorrows product.

I have no idea how AT&T works but the different information at the store level could be all kind of things.
 
Hey, I Just Heard

I just heard that somebody at AT&T got drunk and thought it would be a great idea to start a rumor that the iPhone 3G will go on sale early in the day on July 11. They felt it would get a BUNCH of folks all hot and bothered and smelling blood.

1. This is AT&T and Apple. They will do what they want to do, and they don't care what you want, what you think, or what pisses you off. Apple knows what makes you hot, and that's all they need to know. AT&T knows what you'll pay for, and that's all THEY need to know.
2. Hats off to those who point out that this whole 8 am thing is a rumor, and this is a forum for rumors. zoom, zoom, zoom
3. I understand the excitement level, I plan on standing in line for something for the first time in my life (and I'm no youngster), and I'd rather do it in the dark, because it's hot in Central Texas during the day.
4. Whatever time they start, let's hope for smooth activations, quick transitions, and no illnesses or injuries of any sort.

Cheers, all. :cool:
 
I realize that if i left the names in here we wouldn't have had this issuse, however I value my friends and wouldn't do anything to get them in trouble. Please take my word for it... I know that this place is full of rumors and such... however, I have no reason to make stuff up... I leave that to the fame hogs... I just like spreading the word... a modern day Jesus... (not even close)...

I don't doubt at all that this could be true, but here are my two issues:

1. I have called over 20 AT&T corporate stores now all over the country and not ONE has confirmed the 8AM time. ALL said they didn't have that information yet, and variously said to check back about a week before the launch, etc. Now I know a lot of people will think that AT&T is somehow masterfully hiding this information, but you'll excuse me if I have my doubts.

2. The email message is hearsay upon hearsay...let's just assume that it is indeed a genuine email to store staff. Great. But that's all it is: not a memo from Corporate; it's an internal email to store staff, which could have misunderstood what's going on — and it wouldn't be the first time. For example, maybe AT&T stores ARE starting early and having staff come in at 8AM (for training, display prep, etc.)...but that doesn't mean the iPhone *launch* is at 8AM and that all locations are opening early. What would be a lot more believable is the actual memo from AT&T that allegedly went to store managers.

Again, I am **NOT** saying this is necessarily false...just explaining why it's hard to believe this, and easy to believe things like this. What we need is the original memo, not something internal to a store.

Also, activation aside, all the logic in the world still doesn't mean that the phone will launch at 8AM. All of the same logic applied to last year's launch, yet they still chose to do it at 6PM. I am NOT saying this launch will be at 6PM; but until we see the original memo (and I'm not saying you can provide that) (or a press release), to me, it's more likely that stores are all starting early for prep, not that all stores in all markets, some of which are in retail facilities beyond their control, will all suddenly open at 8AM. (I don't care if sometimes game shops do midnight launches; that is irrelevant to what I am saying here.)
 
Did you speak to the store manager? They are the ones who got the memo. Many or most of them probably have not shared that information yet with their staff, as it is not relevant until they actually schedule it.

For what it's worth, I just called and spoke with a sales agent, and after that, a manager or assistant manager at all of these AT&T Corporate stores: [...]

Also, see my above message.
 
I don't doubt at all that this could be true, but here are my two issues:

1. I have called over 20 AT&T corporate stores now all over the country and not ONE has confirmed the 8AM time. ALL said they didn't have that information yet, and variously said to check back about a week before the launch, etc. Now I know a lot of people will think that AT&T is somehow masterfully hiding this information, but you'll excuse me if I have my doubts.

2. The email message is hearsay upon hearsay...let's just assume that it is indeed a genuine email to store staff. Great. But that's all it is: not a memo from Corporate; it's an internal email to store staff, which could have misunderstood what's going on — and it wouldn't be the first time. For example, maybe AT&T stores ARE starting early and having staff come in at 8AM (for training, display prep, etc.)...but that doesn't mean the iPhone *launch* is at 8AM and that all locations are opening early. What would be a lot more believable is the actual memo from AT&T that allegedly went to store managers.

Again, I am **NOT** saying this is necessarily false...just explaining why it's hard to believe this, and easy to believe things like this. What we need is the original memo, not something internal to a store.

Also, activation aside, all the logic in the world still doesn't mean that the phone will launch at 8AM. All of the same logic applied to last year's launch, yet they still chose to do it at 6PM. I am NOT saying this launch will be at 6PM; but until we see the original memo (and I'm not saying you can provide that) (or a press release), to me, it's more likely that stores are all starting early for prep, not that all stores in all markets, some of which are in retail facilities beyond their control, will all suddenly open at 8AM. (I don't care if sometimes game shops do midnight launches; that is irrelevant to what I am saying here.)


i guess my only quesiton is why?

why as in...why are people putting so much force behind what time it goes on sale. it's not even July. just rest on it. you'll be informed well in advance. it's not like knowing what time the plastic phone goes on sale is going to get it here sooner.

this whole thread is super funny tho, i'll give ya that!
 
Since you are new here I will give you time to read through the multitude of threads with apparent "confirmed" information that turned out to be bogus. Like another poster stated, we have a "show us proof" attitude. Many people make claims, few are true.

I'll keep your record going with the number of times being quoted.:)

I completely understand being skeptical of claims that people make, and I think it's important to give the disclaimer that the information provided could very well not be true. I followed hourly updates for the iPhone 3G announcement and saw many false claims, even though I was not active on the forum.

It's just that your argument is so harsh when he never actually claimed that this was "confirmed" information.
 
i guess my only quesiton is why?

why as in...why are people putting so much force behind what time it goes on sale. it's not even July. just rest on it. you'll be informed well in advance. it's not like knowing what time the plastic phone goes on sale is going to get it here sooner.

this whole thread is super funny tho, i'll give ya that!

Personally? I couldn't care less whether it goes on sale at 8AM or 6PM. I'll be handling my day accordingly and getting one on July 11 regardless.

But what I found rather amusing is that numerous people were coming out of the woodwork saying "confirmed in Sacramento" and "confirmed in Easton, PA", and when I called those stores, they all just said they had no idea, and one of them was a guy who saw the same rumors on the internet that we all have, saying "a little birdie told me 8AM". Until I asked whether this was information his store received, and he said, "Oh, no, just rumors right now...so we wont really know anything until closer to launch."

See how easy it is for it to suddenly "look" like something is confirmed just because a few people say so? I'll go on record as saying I'm perfectly willing to believe the OP's email he posted from his friend is legit...and that it also doesn't mean the iPhone is launching at 8AM. Currently, I'm a fan of my theory that this was a misunderstanding in one store. If there was a launch time sent to store managers in a memo, THAT ACTUAL MEMO would have been leaked to places like gizmodo just as quickly as the two previous leaked AT&T memos to store managers were.

What's more likely is that AT&T staff are coming in early (e.g., 8AM) to prepare for the launch (last minute training, display/demo setups, etc.), but that the actual launch time (i.e., time on sale to end customers) is still unknown. Nevertheless, we're sure to hear about it before July 11.
 
I don't lie... If I could forward you the email i would.

It doesn't matter.

Please see my previous post.

Then Boy Genius Report posts it as a "tip", and Engadget regurgitates it...all based on an internal store email that isn't even the alleged memo in question. Again...I will say I wouldn't be surprised if all AT&T staff are indeed getting an early start to prep for the day. But that doesn't mean the iPhone will launch at 8AM. I realize that's what your email says — and I don't really have any doubts it's legit — but that isn't the original memo the manager received.

It could really be that the iPhone is launching at 8AM. Great.

It could also be that he's using "launch" in an internal/informal parlance, in that all AT&T store employees are indeed going to have bagels for breakfast and pizza for lunch and all have to be in at 8AM for the iPhone "launch", just like it says in the email — but that doesn't mean it's on sale to customers at 8AM and that the store is opening then...get it?

If there was a memo to managers saying that the iPhone was going to be available for end customer sale at 8AM, and that all AT&T stores would be opening early (at 8AM), etc., that memo would already have been leaked in its entirety to the same sites that posted the last leaked AT&T iPhone 3G memos. Why would this one inexplicably not leak?

That's why I think this is a misunderstanding: I'm sure you're telling the truth, for what it's worth, and AT&T staff will indeed be "getting an early start" for the iPhone "launch". But that doesn't mean it's *going on sale* at 8AM!
 
Lol Endgadget just posted the 8:00AM time and placed the source at BoyGenius.

Genius claims a received tip but I wonder if the "received tip" was really this site.

If BoyGenius got the rumor from here *this* is how rumors are made into facts.

Here is the actual link to the engadget story.

.. you know how MacRumors does those accuracy roundups after Apple press conferences, and keeps track of source accuracy?
Wouldn't it be cool if the forums had a similar mechanism?
I don't know how it would be implemented, but it would be cool.
Perhaps it could work like eBay's system.
 
we must all be surfing macrumors from work each day, bored....because we sure know how to beat topics to death around here.

Which building in Dallas are you in right now?

The 8AM thing makes sense, but precedent is a big thing for Apple. I don't see Cupertion really straying away from the lines. Plus, it gives CNN something important to cover all day, instead of a couple of genocides, China before the Olympics, the presidental race and the collapse of democracy in Iraq...oops..sorry I mean Zimbabwe.
 
okay detective... read the email again as it says "iPhone goes on sale at 8a.m. "

Great. And I'm sure this is legit, and that it's really from your friend, etc. etc. etc.

But then where are the leaks of the actual memo the managers got? Surely that would have been leaked as quickly as the previous internal memos about iPhone 3G...

Again, it would seem more likely to me that this is a misunderstanding than that every AT&T and Apple store is going to open one to two hours earlier than their normal opening time, when at least SOME of these stores are in venues whose hours are beyond their control.

It may be that this is correct and the launch is really at 8AM. But given that you are the ONLY person who has that info, and every other site "reporting" this seems to have gotten the "tip" from here, and everyone else who said other stores "confirmed" it actually didn't confirm anything when those SAME stores were called...well, it just seems like it's more likely that this one store had a little internal misunderstanding about the launch time than that it's actually launching at 8AM. See what I'm saying? This isn't saying you are a liar, and isn't saying that your friend really didn't get this email — I'm sure he did.

But until at least ONE other place confirms it in a way that can be duplicated by others (i.e., calling in and asking, and getting the same answer), OR the original memo is leaked, OR there is a press release, the 8AM time is in serious doubt. That's all I really have to say. This doesn't impugn your own integrity or that of your friend. It just means whoever sent that email might have misunderstood the situation, given that I can find not a single other AT&T store, or any other independent story, able to confirm it.

And again: I don't care when it does or doesn't go on sale, because I will be getting one on July 11 regardless of what time of day it goes on sale.
 
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