How are people getting shrink wrapped 36 iPhones?

[daneoni]

I've just seen pics/vids where people unbox 3G iPhones fresh from box i.e. NEVER opened still shrink wrapped and i'm curious as to how they got them. I thought it was a requirement to activate before you left the store?

Are these gys paying full price for the phones without contracts or do they just 'know some people who know some people?

 

[tkidBOSTON]

I've just seen pics/vids where people unbox 3G iPhones fresh from box i.e. NEVER opened still shrink wrapped and i'm curious as to how they got them. I thought it was a requirement to activate before you left the store?

Are these gys paying full price for the phones without contracts or do they just 'know some people who know some people?

They're signing up for service and signing on to a contract but not activating the phone until they open it and sync it to itunes when they get home. They are already locked into a 2 year contract with ATT before leaving the store though.

 

[ipodtouchy333]

I've just seen pics/vids where people unbox 3G iPhones fresh from box i.e. NEVER opened still shrink wrapped and i'm curious as to how they got them. I thought it was a requirement to activate before you left the store?

Are these gys paying full price for the phones without contracts or do they just 'know some people who know some people?

When I left the Apple store my white iPhone was still shrink wrapped in its box too. Because of the iTunes servers being down yesterday, they allowed people to finish the activation at home.

 

[gcmexico]

I've just seen pics/vids where people unbox 3G iPhones fresh from box i.e. NEVER opened still shrink wrapped and i'm curious as to how they got them. I thought it was a requirement to activate before you left the store?

Are these gys paying full price for the phones without contracts or do they just 'know some people who know some people?

*
once you set up the account, u can activate it at home...that's the option I was given when I got it...did all the paper work, got my acct# and new cell#, plan and everything at the store, then I was asked if I want to activate it here or at home, I was like PEACE!!!!

 

[harodude]

I've just seen pics/vids where people unbox 3G iPhones fresh from box i.e. NEVER opened still shrink wrapped and i'm curious as to how they got them. I thought it was a requirement to activate before you left the store?

Are these gys paying full price for the phones without contracts or do they just 'know some people who know some people?

Early customers yesterday morning were able to take home shrink wrapped iPhones because of the server down time for activation. It was pointless to waste time TRYING AND TRYING to activate something that would never activate, so they just sent us all home unopened.

I have yet to find out if you can just ask them to leave it sealed.
That would sure help if you were giving as a gift lets say.

 

[lakaiordie]

i got mine shrink wrapped because itunes was being crappy yesterday at the att store and i activated it at home.


felt good to open it myself.

 

[gcmexico]

Early customers yesterday morning were able to take home shrink wrapped iPhones because of the server down time for activation. It was pointless to waste time TRYING AND TRYING to activate something that would never activate, so they just sent us all home unopened.

I have yet to find out if you can just ask them to leave it sealed.
That would sure help if you were giving as a gift lets say.

*
actually they let me leave with the fon still sealed at 12 midnight from the 5th ave store

 

[thor79]

It's pretty pointless for them to continue to require activation at the stores. It's obvious there's nothing in the phone that requires special activation at the store. So as long as you sign your contract you should be able to do what you want. They should give you the option of activating at the store, if you want to have a working phone when you leave, but it shouldn't be required. They should default to letting you activate at home and leave the thing shrink wrapped.

 

[TimothyB]

I was an existing customer, who already has a 3G sim card at home. So I got it shrink wrapped.

What about new customers, that don't have a sim? Are they just able to activate or register a sim without needing to put it in the new phone? The iPhone does come with a sim preinstalled, too, maybe some open the box to use that one for a new account instead of a different blank one.

 

[w4rmk]

The AT&T Store let me leave with mine shrink wrapped yesterday morning because Apple's activation servers were down. So they told me activate the phone via iTunes when I got home.

 

[daneoni]

Fair point i forgot about that (iTunes/Carrier server crashes)

 

[dlamin517]

ya i got it shrink wrapped yesterday as well. the activation servers were down so they just let people leave with them. there is actually no reason why you have to activate them at the stores. it is a big scam.

 

[thor79]

ya i got it shrink wrapped yesterday as well. the activation servers were down so they just let people leave with them. there is actually no reason why you have to activate them at the stores. it is a big scam.

Yeah many of the retail managers are realizing that they can move through more people if they can avoid the activations completely. That's why they're letting people leave with a sealed box.

Just wish they'd do away with it completely, even when their systems are working perfectly.

 

[albeli]

When I left the Apple store my white iPhone was still shrink wrapped in its box too. Because of the iTunes servers being down yesterday, they allowed people to finish the activation at home.

Yep. Walked out of my ATT store with a shirnk-wrapped iPhone and a 2 year contract at 9:45AM yesterday. Came home to open that puppy up.

 

[TimothyB]

To add to my other post. I was one of the first 10 to go into my ATT store at 8am. I went straight to an employee at a station to get the iPhone. Beyond signing the contract, and signing for the credit card, the clerk didn't let on to me he was going to have me activate it there. I think he even mentioned to me that it would be bricked until I connected it to itunes before we even started, and since I was one of the first, how would he know that the itunes activation was down. There was a point that took a while, and he asked the employee next to him how long it took for opus to respond for him. After a minute or two, we completed the transaction, and not sure what part of the whole setup that was delayed.