View from a Farley The Current Events and Opinion Weblog of Chris Farley

iPhone 3G Release

The launch of the first iPhone was amazing. I wasn’t standing in line, but the pictures tell the story. When I received my iPhone at Christmas, it was an experience that probably rivaled that of the early adopters. The whole experience of unwrapping it and the high blood pressure moments waiting for activation to complete were thrilling.

AT&T has killed the romance of activating an iPhone for the launch of iPhone 3G. You can’t take it home – everything has to be done in store. Instead of a more relaxing activation for which you can prepare at your own pace, buyers are directed to be “iReady,” a term that sounds like it was created by an intern in AT&T marketing. Some details about what will happen for FamilyTalk users are not doing wonders for my stress level.

Despite the Draconian iPhone launch procedures to which Apple has acquiesced (perhaps to protect AT&T’s investment in subsidizing the phone), I feel that I’d be missing something if I wasn’t at the Apple store. Apple retail employees can really put on a show – clapping for you and otherwise expressing their appreciation. But logistical complications force me to a local AT&T store at 6 AM to wait for the 8 AM release.

I’ll miss the Apple store, but it wasn’t going to be the same anyway.