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250,000 iPhones still not activated

By Steve Pounds | Wednesday, October 24, 2007, 05:39 PM

The New York Times caught an interesting tidbit in the glowing report of Apple’s record sales in the last quarter.

During the company’s conference call with Wall Streeters, the company’s Chief Operating Officer, Tim Cook, said 250,000 of 1.4 million iPhones that have been bought, have not been activated with AT&T. Here’s the Times’ take (link).

Apple figures many of them were purchased with the intention to unlock them for use with another carrier.

It’s tough to say whether the strategy is the result of enterprising buyers simply trying to make a quick buck with pals using other phone carriers or if people just simply don’t want to switch to AT&T.

It’s not just important for AT&T. Apple gets a cut of those service activations.

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Comments

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By Patrick B

October 24, 2007 7:45 PM | Link to this

AT&T: Your world. Delivered to the NSA.

By Blake

October 28, 2007 12:28 AM | Link to this

Dear Editor, I believe that Apple should have specified that in order to use the iPhone, you MUST be using the AT&T services. Many people bought the iPhone with the intentions that they could switch to their own phone server provider, when really they couldn’t, therefore making them useless unless they switch. 250,000 iPhones still unused right now due to people not knowing they must be under the AT&T services is way too many. Therefore, Apple should have made that more clear.

-Blake

By Matt

October 29, 2007 1:06 PM | Link to this

I don’t believe there was any misunderstanding the fact that the IPhone required AT&T service. That fact was reported extensively, in fact, many of the stories leading up to the launch interviewed or cited AT&T reps.
Unfortunately, either this is the case, as was said in the blog post, of people wanting to make a quick buck or another case of a society that is more than willing to throw away $500 without really being informed on what they are buying.

By Former Eastsider

November 7, 2007 10:37 AM | Link to this

I agree, it was widely reported and prominently displayed in all advertising and also all the salespeople I talked to before purchasing mentioned it up front. I find it difficult to believe anyone would have shelled out hundreds of dollars for an iPhone without knowing AT&T was the required service.