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Will Apple force AT&T activation in Apple stores to prevent unlocking?

Will Apple force activation in Apple stores?

  • Yes, smart move to prevent further unlocking

    Votes: 9 14.3%

  • No, you will be able to activate it when you want to

    Votes: 54 85.7%
  • Total voters
    63
F

frosse

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Sep 23, 2007
843
165
Sweden
Statistics have shown that A LOT of iphones have been hacked and unlocked since the launch in the US. Do you think that Apple will force new customers to register at AT&T in Apple stores? This would be a good way to keep unlockers (new word ey :)) from buying iphones without activating it.

Whats your take on this? Is it possible?
 
I don't think so, apple likes the ease factor and the fact that it just works and you don't have to deal with stupid at&t people...
 
No way! They want to get people out the store asap.

Imagine how packed it would be on launch day/week...

I think the £100/$200 rebate rumors that have been popping up will make people want to sign contracts....
 
Aravintht said:
No way! They want to get people out the store asap.

Imagine how packed it would be on launch day/week...

I think the £100/$200 rebate rumors that have been popping up will make people want to sign contracts....
Click to expand...
True, though there are still alot of people from other coutries that brings their new iphones abroad to unlock, correct?
 
it is way to convenient for people to activate thru itunes. i dont think they will make you activate in the store. most apple stores are busy anyhow, this would make the already long lines that much longer.
 
I don't think they would do that, at least I hope not. They came up with a good way to activitate a phone that doesn't take an hour and that you can do yourself in 10 minutes.

As long as you're buying the iPhone from Apple I would think they wouldn't care that much because they are still getting your money.....AT&T would be the ones who I think would do that.
 
techlover828 said:
I don't think so, apple likes the ease factor and the fact that it just works and you don't have to deal with stupid at&t people...
Click to expand...

Yes but the phone doesn't have any less "ease of use" if you're forced to activate in store. Not to mention, I'm sure Apple doesn't give a **** if consumers have to deal with "stupid" AT&T reps. ;)
 
if it was such a problem for apple that people buy their phone without at&t they could have already changed something...
apple sells the phone and they don´t care... !!!
here in germany you can only buy the phones in tmobile stores and you have to sign a contract in store... so there are already different ways to handle it ...
 
No forced activation, but the next iphone will likely have software or hardware improvements that make it significantly harder to unlock. I'm sure that AT&T has been pushing Apple on this issue based on the huge difference between iphones sold in the US and iphone activations with AT&T.
 
Does it really matter what we think? "Ma Bell" is going to do whatever the **** she wants! Who thinks we are tying to preserve Capitalism/Democracy (in the US)? All we are doing is extending the borders of the AT&T Empire at about $70 per month around the world. Gawd, I need another Starbuck's Latte. :eek:
 
dacreativeguy said:
No forced activation, but the next iphone will likely have software or hardware improvements that make it significantly harder to unlock. I'm sure that AT&T has been pushing Apple on this issue based on the huge difference between iphones sold in the US and iphone activations with AT&T.
Click to expand...

software 2.0 wich will most likely be running on both, the old and the new phone is already unlocked isn´t it ?
 
my opinion

here is my opinion and tell me what you think. I personally think that apple does not care about att at all. Why would apple want to limit itself to a small market when its clear that everyone ante the iPhone and apple wants everyone to have the iPhone. I believe that the "updates" that relock the phone are only to please att for legal contract reasons but are still simple enough to be hacked because once agiam I don't think apple wants to limit itself on consumers or they loose profit. If they really truly wanted to lock down the iPhone they would have done it by now. Just look at the sidekick for example. Its been out for almost 10 years? and has never been unlocked.
 
Derekuda said:
here is my opinion and tell me what you think. I personally think that apple does not care about att at all. Why would apple want to limit itself to a small market when its clear that everyone ante the iPhone and apple wants everyone to have the iPhone. I believe that the "updates" that relock the phone are only to please att for legal contract reasons but are still simple enough to be hacked because once agiam I don't think apple wants to limit itself on consumers or they loose profit. If they really truly wanted to lock down the iPhone they would have done it by now. Just look at the sidekick for example. Its been out for almost 10 years? and has never been unlocked.
Click to expand...

exactly
 
Derekuda said:
here is my opinion and tell me what you think. I personally think that apple does not care about att at all. Why would apple want to limit itself to a small market when its clear that everyone ante the iPhone and apple wants everyone to have the iPhone. I believe that the "updates" that relock the phone are only to please att for legal contract reasons but are still simple enough to be hacked because once agiam I don't think apple wants to limit itself on consumers or they loose profit. If they really truly wanted to lock down the iPhone they would have done it by now. Just look at the sidekick for example. Its been out for almost 10 years? and has never been unlocked.
Click to expand...

Why would you want to unlock a Sidekick anyway? Aren't they giving those baby toys away! LOL :eek:
 
SFStateStudent said:
Why would you want to unlock a Sidekick anyway? Aren't they giving those baby toys away! LOL :eek:
Click to expand...

lol... i am a former sidekick user, and personally I think they are great phones. Much nicer UI then any windows mobile phone. But no "mobile UI" beats a full OS iphone anyday. And as a mac user, how could I not have an iphone?

....On a completely off the topic note, I am partial to microsofts zune.... I have had enough ipods...time to move on to somthing new.
 
Everytime I buy a new cellphone that requires some sort of activation i spend at least 30 min. in side the store. Apple Stores are already packed all the time, they don't have time to do this.
 
Apple gains more money from selling the phones and not taking a cut of your service plan from AT&T then foregoing the sales and losing the profits from the phone itself.

Never forget, Apple is a hardware company.
 
Derekuda said:
here is my opinion and tell me what you think. I personally think that apple does not care about att at all. Why would apple want to limit itself to a small market when its clear that everyone ante the iPhone and apple wants everyone to have the iPhone. I believe that the "updates" that relock the phone are only to please att for legal contract reasons but are still simple enough to be hacked because once agiam I don't think apple wants to limit itself on consumers or they loose profit. If they really truly wanted to lock down the iPhone they would have done it by now. Just look at the sidekick for example. Its been out for almost 10 years? and has never been unlocked.
Click to expand...

That's just dumb --- it's penny smart and dollar stupid.

It's never about AT&T --- it's about all the other 50+ carriers that Apple is signing up right now.

What would the other carriers that haven't signed up yet look at how Apple is screwing AT&T? What would these carriers think that Apple would suddenly sign up with Starbucks for hotspots --- with AT&T's competitor (T-Mobile USA)?
 
samab said:
That's just dumb --- it's penny smart and dollar stupid.

It's never about AT&T --- it's about all the other 50+ carriers that Apple is signing up right now.

What would the other carriers that haven't signed up yet look at how Apple is screwing AT&T? What would these carriers think that Apple would suddenly sign up with Starbucks for hotspots --- with AT&T's competitor (T-Mobile USA)?
Click to expand...

Well Mr. Duu-Mass, if you had read the headlines a while back, att has made a deal with starbucks to replace all tmobile hotspots into att hotspots.
 
Hi All,

I personaly think that if you had to activate in-store, it may put a few people off buying say in their lunch break from work, as they would have to que for ages and THEN sit down and go through all the things with the AT&T staff. Apple wouldnt sell as many phone by doing it that way. In and Out in 5mins alot of people were for the first iPhone, spent most of their time queuing.

Just my 2 pence worth.
 
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