Apple Store now taking iPhone 3G orders online
By Chris Ziegler 
posted May 13th 2009 1:31PM
posted May 13th 2009 1:31PM
[Thanks, iphonequeen]
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Hm. I wonder if there's more here...as in, Apple using this as a way to get rid of extra inventory faster for June?
I think that is EXACTLY what they are doing, clearing the inventory for the new IPhone.
Agreed, this close to the new release is most likely to clear out some of the stock they have to make space
I feel sorry for the guy who buys one.. only to have the new Iphone have a cpu thats 2x come out in a few weeks
scratch that... I just remembered why I hate Iphones..
I just feel sorry for anyone that buys one.
They are clearing the inventory, but not mainly because of the new iPhone, but because of the new announced Tegra phones in Computex - June 2nd.
The leaked iPhone specs are so underwhelming... yet believable.
sometimes i go to best buy and the first thing i see on display is an iphone as soon as i walk in... i stare at it.. and i swear these two engadget default avatars pop up next to my shoulder. one has horns and a pitchfork laying on it and its the embodiment of iEye, iGoon and Guru going "AHAHAHAHAHAHAH iphone." then the other ava is simply the embodiment of the likes of TareX, beast of the east, charbax, and bill cant fart... and all they gotta say is "do you really wanna end up like them?" thats when i listen and go over to the anime aisle and pick up some gunslinger girls and elfen leid :)
Bummer... My "new" company iphone arrives next week - we couldn't wait any longer. Bad timing I guess and now I'm stuck with last years technology that will be 3 years old by the time the phones get renewed.
Guess I can get myself a pre / new iphone / zunephone or whatever if I get bored of it - but at my expense :(
are they clearing inventory? i couldn't tell from the previous replies above....
It's the same as they do to clear out old inventory for most items. The Old shuffle price was cut in half when the newer tinier versions came out.
My 5 block walk to Best Buy was hardly a trek through the tundra, but door to door shipping is always nice!
T
If you couple this with announcements of iPhone shortages then there will be no doubt.
Pfft.. a day late a dollar short.
Palm Pre ftw
Fcuk you apple.. Only available to new or existing AT&T customers?!?!
The US isnt the only place in the world that "wanted" iphones to buy. Just hope Palm doesnt fall into the trap
Meh...
I didn't see a big "Apple store is down" post, did they figure out how to update a product on the fly?
How about just discounting the product, and we can trudge through the frozen tundra to pick it up?
this isn't news... it's an advertisement for the iphone :s
X2. Why is this even news?
Only to compliment the flame war occurring over on the WinMo Marketplace story. :-) Except that one actually pertains to something important.
@Noodles2k - I agree 100%,
why is this considered news worthy?
Exactly it isn't news worthy... Engadget has received a little something from apple to advertise that piece of crap. Anyone who buys it is a big fool!!! Considering the fact that cheaper, super, better, nicer, prettier, powerful phones are coming soon... Nokia N97FTW!!!!
/Blogsite
Um, you do realize that since all Engadget does is post information about gadgets all day, almost all of their posts are basically just advertisements. Usually people who follow apple rumor sites can take little tidbits like these and piece it into a clearer image of what is to come. So its not just an ad. There is a small piece of useful information. Please don't assume that because its a product you don't like or support that no one does and its an advertisement. Its mentioning that because you couldn't buy an iPhone directly from Apple online until now, which was weird. So its interesting that you can now.
I have never gone on Engadget or Gizmodo and been like, "this post is dumb. You guys are stupid". Why? Because your just being a whiny ass.
A little too late for me, they really expected people to buy these things in the store ? Apple should have just created the handset unlocked and sold it directly from apple.com online, the att in store deal just hurt apple sales , imagine how many more they could have sold
i wont buy an iphone until it has un restricted bluetooth and allows me to put apps on the phone of my choice, without jail breaking. Also it should come unlocked from the factory no reason i should spend so much on a phone that wont allow me to unlock so i can use a SIM from overseas, actually, i thought this was against the law?
Apple picks and chooses which laws it can follow.
If you disagree it will have Finder murder you.
Why do you think Justice Souter is retiring...
Damn you APPLE!!!!! (Left over rage from slingplayer)
Not against the law in the US. The iPhone is the first locked phone I've bought (other than the one crap phone I got when I was stuck on Verizon for one dark year). All the others were eBay'd unlocked ones. But if you go into a GSM carrier in the US they give you a locked phone.
I believe the rule is that after 3 months of service, you can call your carrier and request the unlock code for your phone. I have simply stated that I recently purchased a new phone and would like to use my old one with another carrier. 24 hours later, the phone unlock code is sent to my phone via SMS. I've done it twice already.
Yeah, no one bought them in store, so this is 1 last desperate measure to save the iphone!
A little too late for you? You say that like you've been waiting 2 years for Apple to start shipping over the web.
As for the rest, welcome to 2006, kid.
AT&T's conditions say that you gotta have a phone for 90 days to get it unlocked and I believe they do not follow that for the iPhone as they will never unlock it no matter what you do.
*resists urge to order iPhone*
*succeeds*
and it was uphill both ways!
Even the gardening?
I bought mine online and shipped right at my door through AT&T, refurbished, $199, with no contract renewal whatsoever. I was then an AT&T customer with an active contract though.
Ya, but if I do this, I wouldn't get my AT&T discount that I get for work... so I have to deal with the orange one way or another.
I bought two online over two months ago. They were shipped to my door for free. This has been going on. Oh well....maybe some people didn't know. Now you do!!!!
And this is why this post is nothing more than an advertisement for Apple and not gadget news.
you could do it through ATT, now Apple is doing it as well. that is all.
Why would it matter if you can order online or not, you still need to have an AT&T plan in order to get a phone. If they really wanted to clear inventory, they'd open up to selling the phone unlocked without charging ungodly amounts of money.
it's a shame you can't get this cheaper without a contract over here (the Netherlands), and it's a bigger shame that T-Mobile has the exclusive contract because T-Mobile's service is sh*t. Ah Pre on vodafone where are thou my fair maiden..
lol I was just in the local AT&T store yesterday and this hippy kid was getting introduced to his new iPhone that he just bought and I was really wanting to tell him how the new one is (more than likely) coming out within a month... Oh well...
Wow, this is great. Had a 3G giftcard but having to go to Apple store, then AT&T after to setup plan specifics and get another freebie phone was going to be a pain in the butt. Now, waiting 8 days before Apple ships it out is the pain in the butt. Should have seen the fine print before ordering it overnight. Over a week before they can even ship one out...whatever apple.
Joe. you go to the Apple website and fill out the form, select the model you want, etc. then you go into the APPLE store you picked and they sell you the phone. account is set up. the only exception is if you want to pay the full no contract $599/699 and you opt for no activation to buy it, or claim you are buying it, as a gift.
TED Video about phone tricks, also shows a bit of the iphone.
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/david_pogue_on_cool_phone_tricks.html
Unlocked? If not, no buy.
I do think Apple realize that some people's experience buying the iPhone from AT&T are not that great, and maybe this is a new setup to enable people buying iPhones online directly from Apple, not just an inventory clearing move.
BTW, $179 for an 8GB 2G Touch refurb.
Ughhhh, who Really Cares about iPhone anymore. Just not Impressive in the Least. Apple is Junk made of cheap Materials and made to break conveniently right before a New version comes out.
Posted Engadget mobile via iPhone
I actually received mine in the mail/to my doorstep since last september...so....yeah..i don't know why people are making a huge deal about this....thats right..SEPTEMBER '08..i didn't have to go to the store at all....i called it in for activations...and then did my stuff thru itunes...as per the usual...
EDIT: I actually received min in the mail and to my doorstep last september*
This doesn't mean that you can buy the iPhone sans plan now, though, right? I mean by any sick means ;)
They started selling the phone without a contract about two months ago at the Apple store. It's still locked to AT&T though.
sure you can. for $599/699 as a 'gift'. you walk out with a non activated phone. still locked to ATT but hey, if you don't mind that it's illegal and you will totally void your warranty there are about 200 guys on Ebay and Craigslist that for $50-100 will unlock that phone for you in a heartbeat
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. FIGHT BACK BY BOYCOTTING THE IPHONE. SAY NO TO APPLE AND AT&T. DON'T BUY AN IPHONE THIS SUMMER!
Even if you don't care about Sling, it concerns you as its just a matter of time before they do something that effects you. These 2 companies can not be allowed to get away with this. If they do we will be allowing them to set a precedent that will not bode well for us consumers.
yeah, like you can really get enough folks to boycott the iphone. if you want to do something how about calling for a class action suit for all the folks that got the 3g phone and are paying the 3g data rate but there are few 3g towers in their area (such as a big chunk of the midwest) even thought ATT claimed the area had 3g service. how about a law suit making it illegal, as it is in several places in Europe, to lock a phone to a single carrier and thus letting you use a sidekick on verizon, an instinct on t-mobile etc so long as they can service the device from a technological standpoint. and pressure for the creation of a single carrier technology so there is none of this gsm v cdma v whatever else they can think up nonsense.
it wasn't so long ago that your cell phone number was 'owned' by the service company, we got that changed. if folks would stop whining Apple this and Apple that and realize that the real issue is ATT and the other cell phone service companies, maybe something would get done.
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