Amazon already does something like this with plain old cell phones. You pay the subsidized price and give them all of your billing info. If you fail to activate the phone within 30 days, they stick you with the bill for the subsidy (in this case, $200). Simple. Will one time use credit cards numbers work to keep from getting that $200 bill? I have no idea, but I'm sure there are plenty of people who will try that on day one.

cvilly

@The Incredible OMG! Ponies!:
You get hammered off of one PBR? I envy you. Hell I just got back from Bonnaroo, I drank half a fifth of skyy, three or four molson from our canadian neighbors, ate an eighth of shrooms, did a roll, then saw Willy Nelson, Metallica, and MSTRKRFT all in one night, and still wouldnt say I was hammered.

deernet

From the article it sounds like if you don't activate in-store, they brick it right there for you and the only way to unbrick is through iTunes activation. No deposit, no SSN, no credit card necessary to track you down because all you've got until you put your data in at home is a very expensive paperweight.

weatherman

They probably pre-authorize your credit card for the extra charge, just like the car rental companies. No register = penalty charge. Won't work for temporary card numbers. (Or if it does work, it'll charge it through as part of the original pre-auth.)

bandit

@The Incredible OMG! Ponies!: Plus PBR is pretty much a requisite for scuzzy punk concerts and the like. As much of a beer snob as I tend to be, there's just something about cheap beer and aggressively loud music that goes so well together.

Ubik2501

@hypnotik_jello: Those hipsters mix it with Sparks now. Ain't this world cur-azy?

Kaiser-Machead's got LindsayJoy's cookies on the SuperDrive

@The Incredible OMG! Ponies!:

$2 where?

MrBlahBlah

@The Incredible OMG! Ponies!: The incredible irony that PBR was a working class beer and is now being drunk by williamsburg trust fund baby hipsters is not lost on me.

hypnotik_jello

@The Incredible OMG! Ponies!:

"At $2 a can"

wtf, PBR is under 50 cents a can...

nutbastard

@nutbastard: I'm glad somebody asked what I was thinking...

Chromeo

@The Incredible OMG! Ponies!: Not TOO too long ago, it was "trendy" to drink a tall PBR out of a brown paper bag in trendy bars around Boston.

/barf

Crazymonkey

@sfokevin most activation requires SSN#. They can still track you down. :P

They best way to go about is buy the phone, and cancel the service after (pay the penalty $$$$ of course). I don't remember the exact details, but you have 14 days or something if you decided do "don't like" the AT&T service.

ninelife777

@hbkdinobot: I'm sure when they run the credit card validation, it would show up as unable to authorize a deposit or maybe they just ignore/refuse all Pay Pal accounts or something.

Crazymonkey

Pay Pal has a one use credit card deal. You can buy the phone on the one use credit card and then they couldn't charge you a penalty.

hbkdinobot

@t3knomanser: Are you drinking the kool-aid?

Kramen loves her MBP

@Dook_In_The_Urinal: People do still drink PBR - myself included.

Pabst Brewing Company discovered the best way to market beer about ten years ago: don't advertise.

Word-of-mouth, coupled with cheap prices, drives PBR sales. At $2 a can ($3 for the tallboys), you can't beat PBR with a stick. For me, it's less about being ironic and more about being a cheap bastard.

If you know of a better way to get shit-faced hammered on a Thursday night without spending more than two yuppie food stamps, I'd like to know.

The Incredible OMG! Ponies!

@t3knomanser: Say what?

geowrian

@Kramen loves her MBP: ROFLMFAO!!!!!!

spyz88

@t3knomanser: Yeah? What the Frack?

rtwod2

@t3knomanser:

dude... what the hell are you talking about?

nutbastard

Why not take a deposit (like they do when you rent equipment)?

Say the phone costs people signing up for a 2 year contract $300 (like we've been beaten over the head with). Have the deposit be $200. That way, the phone costs $500 to those who plan on cracking/jailbreaking it.

Any why does either party care if it's cracked/jailbroken as long as they're seeing the cost of the phone covered?

I dongeddit.

Crazymonkey

You're looking for pancakes? I didn't think Gizmodo was a hive of secret McCain supporters. I'd say you can come out and discuss politics openly, without resorting to these backdoor shenanigans, but then I realize two things: first, you'd get flamed to crap for straying away from gadgets, and second, Republicans generally frown on backdoor shenanigans.

t3knomanser

@sfokevin: Use a temporary credit card so they CAN'T charge you afterwards.

geowrian

Unboxing photos live on!!!!

Telp

If telcel (Mexico) doesn't do store activation or something like that...ebay here i come :P

Mike918

i think kneecaps or better is what they have in mind.

nutbastard

And this isn't illegal? It seems like it should be illegal.

karasu is my homeboy

All your baseband belongs to AT&T.

mcdj

I assume they would ask for a credit card number to charge the penalty... If not cool!!!... It can fit right into my international flight carry on :>

sfokevin

So, since AT&T records your IMEI number at purchase, could they brick your iPhone if they catch you with an unactivated phone?

theogcasey

@The Incredible OMG! Ponies!:
People still drink PBR? I think I'd rather drink the pee the couch whizzer just expelled.

Dook_In_The_Urinal

also, enter the meme of "If you don't activate after 30 days.. *egregious punishment here*".

shiftyeyedgoat

I was told yesterday by an AT&T store employee that to have my # ported over from Helio, I would HAVE to activate at home via Itunes, and that the in store activation wouldn't be possible.

Then again...it was an AT&T Store employee...

Chromeo

@TimurY: I don't live in the UK, so O2 and carphone warehouse are irrelevent for me.

But thanks for your input.

shiftyeyedgoat

What's the "penalty"? Do they blacklist you for future purchases or something?

geowrian

@shiftyeyedgoat: Yes, thats a good question. I don't want to leave my house until I have my GPS enabled iPhone, so having to leave my house to buy one was leaving with quite a difficult situation...

Wrynocerous

And if you don't enter it, hipsters from the SoHo store will go to your house and break up the joint, drink all of your PBR, snark about how your taste in music sucks because you don't listen to Sonic Youth, and whine about why you should watch more Peckinpah movies.

Then, they'll spray-paint "UBUNTU SUX BAWLS" on your living room wall and whizz on your couch.

The Incredible OMG! Ponies!

so what's the worst that could happen? the apple guys come to your house and politely ask that you not crack your phone?

tallboy

@shiftyeyedgoat:

Did you even read the article?

TimurY

@shiftyeyedgoat: Possibly...but that also means that a customer representative will come to your house after the 30 days and murder you in your sleep if you don't activate.

Kramen loves her MBP

So... does this mean online ordering is possible now, too?

shiftyeyedgoat

@Kramen loves her MBP: [www.penny-arcade.com]

MikeSWelch

@The Incredible OMG! Ponies!:

If you know of a better way to get shit-faced hammered on a Thursday night without spending more than two yuppie food stamps, I'd like to know.

itchytooth

@LindsayJoy's MBP is into S+M:
Thank you for clearing that up. I was beginning to think this guy was off his fucking rocker.

Dook_In_The_Urinal

@devGOD:

Inaccurate. Any Apple fanboy worth his salt wouldn't even consider buying such MS crap so wouldn't give a flying fuck if they pulled something like this.

Dearhaw

@devGOD: No it's not perfectly OK. I'd make this shit illegal if I could.

Sean Robertson

@TheSonOfKrypton: You see, those are the consequences of long term crack usage.

Kramen loves her MBP

@t3knomanser: That made perfect sense.

LOL

Evangelion

@t3knomanser: Um................................................................................................................................................What the hell is this kid talking about?

TheSonOfKrypton

@The Incredible OMG! Ponies!: Mickey's, AKA the Green Hornet, AKA Big Mouth. Surprised I didn't sweat the stuff in college. Iron City is some mighty fine full-bodied beer, as well.

Elvisisdead

@tallboy: I'm sure it won't be as nice as that. Personally, I'm for people using it on unsupported networks paying a lot more and getting no manufacturer support-- the subsidy rolls through AT&T, who announced a ten to twelve cent hit per share for the next two years. So you want it unlocked? Apple should sell it in-store for $800. I don't love locking phones, and I don't love AT&T, and I certainly haven't had perfect service with them, but their deal with Apple was done legally-- and I DO think it's wrong to steal from people.

wild homes 5: no disassemble!

I want one but i'm in a dilemma. $39.99 (phone plan) + $30.00 (data plan) + $5 (200 sms) + government fees & taxes a month or should I get a nice 40"+ 1080P LCD TV?

Earthslide

@t3knomanser: @nutbastard: @Kramen loves her MBP:

Ok ok what this guys means is that McCain earmarks that are shoved in appropriation bills and go through Congress that don't have to go through the proper channels and are thus hidden.

So since we don't like this "hidden" policy that the ATT has with the iPhone, we are "Republicans" or something like that. Or whatever.

All this time I thought ATT was the devil. And now I just find out that its the government. Wait or maybe both. Now im confused. Politics overload.

LindsayJoy's MBP is into S+M

@The Incredible OMG! Ponies!:

I'm a Sam Adams man myself...although I do enjoy a good Killian's Irish Red or Yuengling also

Chromeo

Funny, if Microsoft tried something like that everyone would be complaining how MS is too controlling but its perfectly ok for Apple and AT&T to do whatever they want with zero complaints from the EVERYTHING APPLE IS GREAT FANBOYS

devGOD

@t3knomanser:
no secret here, i openly support the ONLY candidate who has real world experience with the military.
as far as "backdoor shenanigans" goes, that would be ted nugent being the vp candidate!!!!

on topic:
what is this i-phone you speak of?

godwhacker

@People talking about PBR

Lions head beats the pants off PBR any day of the week, and that has nothing to do with hipster irony and everything to do with cheap beer that doesn't taste like earwax.

Jawbreaker4Fs

@uberfu: but wikipedia is the pinnacle of all information..

Dapole

@TimurY: okay genius! Don't bash folks unless you know of what you speak_ Apple Insider is not always the pennacle of accurate information that you seem to bestow upon it_ Might as well be pulling information from Wikipedia_

uberfu

@karasu is my homeboy: Good point.. I wonder how this is legal.

GiantEnemyCrab

@Kramen loves her MBP: Maybe it's more of the proverbial financial rape. You know, the one where you're screaming when you check your account balance.

Kaiser-Machead's got LindsayJoy's cookies on the SuperDrive

but what if i had my fingers crossed?

@MikeSWelch: fucking hilarious. it sums up att customer service pretty well.

Dapole

@MikeSWelch: As much as I don't find rape funny, that is pretty hilarious! I knew I was onto something.

Kramen loves her MBP

@Kramen loves her MBP:
Good call.

Dook_In_The_Urinal

@Dook_In_The_Urinal: Doesn't mean he still isnt :p

Kramen loves her MBP

Great...just my luck all the ding dongs in front of me in line will choose to activate in store.

CEOself

@Kaiser-Machead's got LindsayJoy's cookies on the SuperDrive: I have been raped many times...that way

Kramen loves her MBP

@nutbastard: @deernet: @Chromeo: @Elvisisdead: @itchytooth:

First of all: Yuppie food stamp = a $20 bill. They're dispensed from ATM machines (I know what I said)

Second: I am a professional drinker. Usually, a six-pack is required to get me over the "pleasantly buzzed" hump.

Third: Yes, nutbastard, PBR can be found for .50 a can - but only in case form. I'm not one for drinking alone at home. I drink at bars, whereupon I get tanked, suffer hearing loss from the jukebox, and drunk dial random girls in my phonebook - many of whom don't remember me.

Sorry ladies - he's taken.

The Incredible OMG! Ponies!

everybody here is over thinking this. Don't buy the phone the day it comes out. Wait 2 weeks(if you can). By that time, our lovely hacker friends over at iPhone dev Team will have figured out a way to get all around the legalities with included jailbreak. And then it will be posted all over Giz for everyone to enjoy. Except for Steve Jobs and ATT.

IPHONE2 JAILBREAK FTW!!!!!

shenanigans

@MrBlahBlah: God dammit! Am I going to have to start up a regular cheap beer Gizmodo NYC meetup?

Here are the dive bars that I frequent which offer cheap PBR:

The Patriot
Welcome to the Johnsons
Yogi's
Doc Holliday's
Blue & Gold
American Trash

Any NY'ers - either leave me a message on my comment page or email me at mbaron.ny at googly mail.

The Incredible OMG! Ponies!

@The Incredible OMG! Ponies!: who's paying you to drink and how can i get that deal?

Paradise

@The Incredible OMG! Ponies!: Who is he?
are you talking about yourself in like third party?

Kramen loves her MBP

@Kramen loves her MBP: What kind of douchebag would I be if I didn't?

The Incredible OMG! Ponies!

@OMG! Ponies!: Thats SoHo for you.

etaripamai

All of the people talking about this being "illegal" should really just...stop talking. Apple and AT&T want money, just as all of you do. They do not want people with other phone services hacking into their phones to use them for unintended purposes. I own no Apple products, so I am in no way a fanboy. If anything, this was one of the smartest decisions they could have made. It is not illegal because you do not NEED to buy an iPhone, and the reason you want to buy one is so that you can use it for unintended purposes.

lotta221211

Technically, since the phone has been subsidized by AT&T (or whichever other company your are buying it from outside the US), if you don't acquire a contract with that company you are stealing the phone. So, they can IMEI block it on all GSM/WCDMA networks, just like they do for any other stolen phone. Makes perfect terrible sense. So unless somebody figures out a way to change the IMEI (very unlikely) there will be no unlocking. IMHO, when people start to figure this out the price of 1.0 iPhones will go through the roof.

SheridanFlea

@Chromeo: @Chromeo:

I was also told something similar by an ATT store employee. I will be porting over from Verizon and she said I would need to bring the information to the store but that the actual activation would be finished on iTunes

jack358

For everytime you don't activate your phone, Steve will starve himself

piersanch

I've never had a problem with AT&T, honestly. In fact, several years ago, due to stupidity on my part, I managed to run up a $1000 bill for a single month. They waived $950 of it for me as soon as I called in. That act alone has basically ensured loyalty for the foreseeable future from me.

Anyway, having said that (and letting you all know of my possible bias), as soon as I heard about the subsidized iPhone, I knew it was going to work like this. That's the way it has always worked with AT&T and their predecessor Cingular, as far as I'm aware. I dont' have a problem with it. My contract is up for renewal in November, and I intend to get an iPhone at that time. (To replace my aging, and somewhat broken, Sony Ericsson s710a.)

falandil