Apple: iPhone 3G purchase to take 10-15 minutes
Apple employees get ready to start taking iPhone orders last year in San Francisco.
(Credit: Erica Ogg/CNET News)Apple has revealed how it plans to handle the iPhone 3G crowd on Friday at its retail stores: about 30 iPhone buyers at a time.
In an interview with Bloomberg on Tuesday, Ron Johnson, Apple's retail chief, explained the company plans to admit iPhone customers into its retail stores starting at 8:00 a.m. local time on Friday. There will be an orange-shirted "concierge" at each store, according to Apple, who will herd iPhone 3G buyers approximately 30 at a time to the "iPhone bay" for processing.
Apple did something similar last year, when it let iPhone customers dozens at a time into its downtown San Francisco store, alternating between the first floor and second floor. Last year, however, iPhone customers could activate their iPhones at home, which made for a much quicker buying experience. Despite lines that stretched around the block as the doors opened, after an hour anyone could walk in off the street and buy an iPhone.
This time, as we all know, Apple is requiring in-store activation. Johnson said that Apple thinks each transaction will take between 10 and 15 minutes, which means the company could conceivably process between 120 and 180 buyers an hour, depending on how quickly things move. Johnson told Bloomberg to expect something more like 100 customers an hour.
A few things to remember: if you plan on buying an iPhone 3G on Friday, you're going to need a credit card, Social Security number, a government-issued photo ID, and the account number for your current wireless account if you're not an AT&T customer. You'll have to pass a credit check, and you have to be at least 18 years old, according to the fine print on Apple's iPhone page. If you're planning on buying an iPhone using a business account, you'll have to visit an AT&T store.
Tom Krazit, a staff writer for CNET News, focuses on all things Apple. He has covered traditional PC companies such as Dell and Hewlett-Packard, chip companies such as Intel and Advanced Micro Devices, and mobile computers ranging from Research In Motion's to Palm's. E-mail Tom.
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iPhone
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Apple,
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iPhone 3G,
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AT&T,
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launch day,
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Unfortunately, the ATT "iphone plans" page doesn't disclose this....so if you're on a $60.00 FT plan, you don't have to upgrade to the $129.00 plan to simply add an iPhone to your pool.
But the phone is capable of Wi-Fi. If it isc apable of wi-fi, why you need a data plan. It is upto the individual, who want to have data plan or not. If the device is capable, then it should allow to browse the net.
They dont know what they are talking. ATT reps are useless.
What does that really say? I'm sorry, AT&T, but you do NOT need my social security number.
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by kjc1210
July 9, 2008 9:00 PM PDT
- OK, all you SS# paranoids, you're applying for credit when you purchase a phone that's not pre-paid. If someone has a track record of never paying their bills, why would AT&T give someone credit, have them use thousands of minutes and dozens of downloads, and then not pay their bill on a phone that was subsidized by the carrier in the first place? If you pay your bills, it's not an issue that they want to verify that you are the good risk that you are. If you don't pay your bills, why would they want to lose a ton of money giving service and a subsidized phone to someone who's going to shaft them? All carriers (Sprint, Verizon, T-Mobile) ask for SS numbers to check credit.
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See all 26 Comments >>Chill, dude.