http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/ Engadget Comments for http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2008 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/Jun 13th 2008 12:28PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/Jun 13th 2008 12:46PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/Jun 13th 2008 1:02PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/Jun 13th 2008 1:05PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Apple-3G-iPhone-just-only-159-Pre-order-now_W0QQitemZ260250283244QQihZ016QQcategoryZ152987QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem]]>Jun 13th 2008 1:14PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/
With such high subsidised prices (compare that with the potential for FREE subsidised phones and iPhones in UK) and long contracts (most UK ones have been 12 months for a long time, 18 months is becoming more widespread now) its no wonder that mobile phones haven't been as popular as they are in Europe.

I guess this explained the popularity of the original iPhone!]]>Jun 13th 2008 1:17PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/Jun 13th 2008 1:28PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/
Get in line, fools.]]>Jun 13th 2008 1:35PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/Jun 13th 2008 1:37PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/Jun 13th 2008 1:49PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/Yeah, I understand the logistics of their argument, however, most of the European carriers are now owned by the same 4-5 companies, and Europe as a continent is comparable in landmass to the US, so its not really a reasonable excuse in my opinion.

Also, it should be counterbalanced by the fact that there are more people in the US, which means theres still the same amount of customers per unit of area. ]]>Jun 13th 2008 1:53PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/Jun 13th 2008 1:54PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/
Who cares?

Not liking the 'reply' heat? Stay out of the kitchen. It's not that big of a deal, plenty of room on the internets for all these opinions!]]>Jun 13th 2008 2:23PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/
You said "[...] that provides the big E with even more money"

What you meant to say "little e"
There's no big E in engadget!]]>Jun 13th 2008 2:26PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/Jun 13th 2008 2:41PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/
Yes, you are correct. The American mobile market is much less competitive in regards to Subsidized handsets. Apparently In the UK and other parts of Europe, you can easily get a 8GB N95 or pretty much any other high-end phone (even those costing $700-$900) COMPLETELY FREE on contracts. Also, carriers in the USA do not provide a staggered level of subsidy depending on how much your monthly plan/tariff is. They do give you a better subsidy if you sign up for a 2-year contract versus a 1-year contract.

Overall you'll usually never see a subsidy in excess of $300, and the average would be $100-$200 off the retail price. If I want to buy a new HTC, Samsung, or Blackberry Smartphone, I would pay somewhere around $300 depending on the retail price of the device.]]>Jun 13th 2008 4:13PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/Jun 13th 2008 4:17PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/Jun 13th 2008 5:45PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/
A: Ninjas.]]>Jun 13th 2008 8:28PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/
That's correct. A Nokia N95 8GB doesn't cost a dime on a $60 (inc. tax) per month plan in the UK.]]>Jun 14th 2008 10:18AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/Jun 16th 2008 1:22PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/Jun 13th 2008 12:31PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/Jun 13th 2008 12:43PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/
I'm gonna wait till unlocked 3G iphones hit ebay and then buy one.

No way in hell I'm playing by their rules.]]>Jun 13th 2008 12:44PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/
If the limit is three per customer then between you and your wife you guys could buy 6 phones (2 people x 3 phone per person = 6 phones).]]>Jun 13th 2008 12:55PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/Jun 13th 2008 3:09PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/
you're the problem with america. ]]>Jun 13th 2008 3:00PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/Jun 13th 2008 3:19PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/Jun 13th 2008 3:31PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/
I think if the family went in together, perhaps they'd allow 4 since you can show who will be using the phones. It can't hurt to ask.]]>Jun 13th 2008 5:13PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/Jun 14th 2008 4:06AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/
]]>Jun 14th 2008 8:09AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/
Therefore, we play hard.

Paperless, thanks for the comment...but it's ok, they can be jealous.

We love cars and we do own a BMW. Why? Because it's a nice car and it's fun to drive. Frankly, that should not be discussed as I was simply asking about the iPhone.]]>Jun 14th 2008 10:14AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/Jun 14th 2008 10:42AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/Jun 14th 2008 2:23PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/Jun 13th 2008 12:31PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/Jun 13th 2008 12:41PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/Jun 13th 2008 12:45PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/
If there's anyone that has experience with the current-gen iPhone and the insurance plan, feel free to chime in. I don't imagine this iteration will be any different.]]>Jun 13th 2008 1:23PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/Jun 13th 2008 1:39PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/Jun 13th 2008 1:45PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/Jun 13th 2008 1:49PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/
Unfortunately these other comments are also correct in that AT&T doesn't offer insurance on the iPhone for some reason... maybe there are other 3rd party companies that offer a cell phone insurance plan separate from AT&T you'd like to take a chance on? I wouldn't recommend it though... Insurance companies are almost as shifty as cellphone companies...]]>Jun 13th 2008 2:05PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/
On Tuesday I called AT&T and talked to a customer service manager from dialing 611 on my iPhone to figure out about my upgrade options. The rep explained to me that the $100 discount I will receive for upgrading will not be available for the 3G iPhone. She stated the $199 and $299 price points no matter what. After this unfortunate news, I asked her about insurace because my HTC 8525 was stolen last December when there was no insurance option for smartphones at that time. She told me that the $5/month insurance is now available for every phone offered by AT&T EXCEPT the iPhones. According to her, Asurion and Apple have not even talked about insuring the iPhone yet. I also asked her about insuring my current-gen iPhone and she said no dice. Granted, I've gotten incorrect information from AT&T reps about everytime I talk to one, but the two women I talked to on Tuesday had both worked at AT&T since before they were AT&T before they were Cingular before they became AT&T again, lol. But still, take this with a grain of salt, but apparently no upgrading and no insurance for the 3G iPhone.]]>Jun 13th 2008 2:16PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/Jun 13th 2008 2:24PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/Jun 14th 2008 3:55AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/Jun 13th 2008 12:32PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/
I know they will sell a lot, but this confusion mess is just going to push the jailbreakers into finding a way around this. Because it's obvious this is why they set it all up like this. Cat and mouse game all over again.]]>Jun 13th 2008 2:43PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/Jun 13th 2008 12:32PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/iphone-3g-must-be-activated-in-store-and-other-followup-questio/Jun 13th 2008 12:35PM