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iPhone to Use iTunes for Activation

Tuesday, June 26th, 2007 at 9:25 AM - by

Apple and AT&T are taking a novel approach to activating the iPhone once purchased. Instead of waiting in a store to complete the process, customers will use iTunes to handle the activation.

The iTunes application, available for both Mac OS X and Windows XP and Vista, will walk users through the process of selecting a service plan, credit authorization, transferring phone numbers from other carriers, and iPhone activation.

Apple states that once the activation is complete, users can sync phone numbers and contacts, calendars, email, Web browser bookmarks, music, photos, as well as TV shows and movies - implying that the device will not perform even basic iPod functions until it is activated.

The iPhone page on the Apple Web site has also been updated and includes a video with a step-by-step demonstration of the activation process.

iPhone will be available at 6 p.m. local time on Friday, June 29, at Apple and AT&T retail stores, and the Apple online store. The 4GB model is priced at US$499, and the 8GB model costs $599.

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acdc1174 said:

member since 16 Apr 2004 with 723 posts, unranked, send him a message or view his profile

Tue Jun 26, 2007 10:23 am

I saw this one coming. Finally, a phone activation process that is "user friendly". Great way to deal with the lines that will be there at the stores too. Awesome.

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A guest said: (hide)

Tue Jun 26, 2007 10:42 am

I don't know that this is all that "user friendly". They are requiring that you take your phone home, install an application which you might have never used before. I know my mom would never install anything on the home computer. If this is supposed to pass the mom test, it fails just trying to get the phone to activate. I think for most people, it's a lot easier to call a phone number, recite a few numbers off of the receipt and then have a working phone.

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VSeward said:

member since 28 Jun 2001 with 972 posts, TMO Staff, send him a message or view his profile

Tue Jun 26, 2007 10:53 am

Guest wrote:
I don't know that this is all that "user friendly". They are requiring that you take your phone home, install an application which you might have never used before. I know my mom would never install anything on the home computer. If this is supposed to pass the mom test, it fails just trying to get the phone to activate. I think for most people, it's a lot easier to call a phone number, recite a few numbers off of the receipt and then have a working phone.

Where do it say you have to install an application?

Oh, I forget that the rest of the world (PC)may not already have iTunes loaded. Mac users won't have to load anything, they just plug and go. Another reason to own a Mac.

Vern

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Engine Joe said:

member since 29 Jun 2004 with 413 posts, unranked, send him a message or view his profile

Tue Jun 26, 2007 11:28 am

Oh, and guest, you'd need iTunes to use the iPhone as an iPod anyway, so what's the big deal with needing it for activation, too?

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gslusher said:

member since 13 Nov 2002 with 2088 posts, unranked, send him a message or view his profile

Tue Jun 26, 2007 2:17 pm

For our Guest's mom, I'd recommend a simple cel phone--no music player, no camera, no calendar, no SMS--nothing but a phone. You can get those free with a contract, so why pay $500 or $600 for something she won't use?

As for installing applications on her computer, want to bet that Mom has inadvertently installed dozens of applications on her computer, already, assuming that she has email?

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Biff said:

member since 08 Apr 2004 with 1479 posts, unranked, send him a message or view his profile

Tue Jun 26, 2007 3:20 pm

Guest is also forgetting that the mom-test concept for the iPhone is idiotic and based on flawed logic. Plus if she doesn't already have iTunes, that means she doesn't have a Mac. Thus she has Windows. So you're telling me Mom buys lots of hardware that doesn't require her to install things on her home machine? I don't think so! Nice try though.

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A guest said: (hide)

Tue Jun 26, 2007 4:24 pm

VSeward wrote:
Guest wrote:
I don't know that this is all that "user friendly". They are requiring that you take your phone home, install an application which you might have never used before. I know my mom would never install anything on the home computer. If this is supposed to pass the mom test, it fails just trying to get the phone to activate. I think for most people, it's a lot easier to call a phone number, recite a few numbers off of the receipt and then have a working phone.

Where do it say you have to install an application?

Oh, I forget that the rest of the world (PC)may not already have iTunes loaded. Mac users won't have to load anything, they just plug and go. Another reason to own a Mac.

Vern

So the pre-installed version of iTunes on a Mac bought several years ago supports this activation process? In the press release people are guided to the web in order to get the latest version of iTunes in order to activate their phone. Oh, I guess the iPhone is only supposed to be easy to use if you own a Mac, that was bought on the same day. Would that Mac in the store even have the correct version of iTunes loaded? Apple is only targeting existing Mac owners with this phone?

Engine Joe wrote:
Oh, and guest, you'd need iTunes to use the iPhone as an iPod anyway, so what's the big deal with needing it for activation, too?

You're right, this product totally fails the mom test!

Biff wrote:
Guest is also forgetting that the mom-test concept for the iPhone is idiotic and based on flawed logic. Plus if she doesn't already have iTunes, that means she doesn't have a Mac. Thus she has Windows. So you're telling me Mom buys lots of hardware that doesn't require her to install things on her home machine? I don't think so! Nice try though.

No, Biff, that post is idiotic. I'm telling you my mom would not install anything and would not buy a computer. You are familiar with the concept of a family? Well, in a family, many people exist as individuals with a common bond, but not necessarily common abilities and skills. For instance, my dad could be talked through installing iTunes over the phone, but he wouldn't do so on his own without a lot of research beforehand. My mother simply wouldn't do it. Your post is childish, and your arguement is idiotic. I'm sorry if it hard for to grasp the concept that there are computer USERS who are not computer ADMINS. But, when you work on a Mac, I guess you have to be both.

gslusher wrote:
For our Guest's mom, I'd recommend a simple cel phone--no music player, no camera, no calendar, no SMS--nothing but a phone. You can get those free with a contract, so why pay $500 or $600 for something she won't use?

As for installing applications on her computer, want to bet that Mom has inadvertently installed dozens of applications on her computer, already, assuming that she has email?

Sure thing! Where do I collect? There is a difference between not being willing to install software and knowing the difference between a spam email and an email from your friend. Is that a comment based on personal experience with foolish mothers? To think that it's so easy for someone who doesn't want to change things on a computer to be so easily duped! I am glad I grew up in an intelligent household where I didn't feel the need to take a stab at an anonymous person's mother to feel good about my choices in computing.

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A guest said: (hide)

Tue Jun 26, 2007 7:56 pm

Guest wrote:
You're right, this product totally fails the mom test!

Maybe it fails the "your mom" test, but it certainly doesn't fail the "my mom" test or the mom tests of dozens of people I meet every day. That's why the whole concept is stupid. You're saying that your mom is neither interested in nor capable of installing a program like iTunes on her computer. That's fine and there's nothing wrong with it. But what other people here are saying (some better than others) is that for a person like that the iPhone may not be the right choice. There are many mobile phone options out there that do not require a computer to activate or make full use of. The iPhone is not one of those and is obviously not the right phone for your mom.

Guest wrote:
I'm sorry if it hard for to grasp the concept that there are computer USERS who are not computer ADMINS. But, when you work on a Mac, I guess you have to be both.

If your definition of being a computer admin is the ability to install a program like iTunes then my ability to tie my shoes makes me a tailor, to microwave Ramen makes me a chef, and to open a car door makes me a mechanic.

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A guest said: (hide)

Tue Jun 26, 2007 7:57 pm

Having to install the latest version of iTunes didn't seem to hurt the sale of any particular model of iPod when it was first released.

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DaiMac said:

member since 29 Jun 2001 with 952 posts, unranked, send him a message or view his profile

Tue Jun 26, 2007 8:57 pm

Guest wrote:
I am glad I grew up in an intelligent household where I didn't feel the need to take a stab at an anonymous person's mother to feel good about my choices in computing.

How intelligent could it have been if your mom can't handle installing iTunes, which I'm sure will be included on a CD with the iPhone that requires less than 6 clicks to go from insertion to completing installation? I literally had to show my grandma how to use a mouse when she got her first machine and she handled using iTunes easier than Outlook or Word for example. I think all people are saying is that your mom probably isn't going to buy a $500 smartphone if she isn't saavy enough to install a basic music player App. This phone isn't trying to compete with the 2 for $80 phones that your mom and dad use, but Treos and such that cost much more (if still possibly less than iPhone).

Also isn't the "mom test" also partly referring to the simple issue of how Moms, who control the purse strings in many households, perceive the device rather than if they want one for themselves? If Mom thinks its an OK device and not a horrendous waste of money she is more likely to approve Dad getting one, which is where 75% of the market for this type of device exists regardless. Maybe I'm wrong but I thought that was part of it.

I'm not even that excited about the iPhone, but your argument just doesn't make much sense as currently presented. Show us a phone in the same range of features and price that requires no computer interaction at all to activate its full range of features and then you _might_ have the beginnings of a point, until then its just meaningless anonymous trolling.

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gslusher said:

member since 13 Nov 2002 with 2088 posts, unranked, send him a message or view his profile

Tue Jun 26, 2007 9:35 pm

Anonymous wrote:
I'm sorry if it hard for to grasp the concept that there are computer USERS who are not computer ADMINS. But, when you work on a Mac, I guess you have to be both.

That shows that you don't understand Mac OS X at all. When you start up a new Mac for the first time, you're prompted to create a user account. By default, that account is an admin account. (It almost has to be so that you can install software and create new accounts.) It's not the same as being a network administrator.

If someone wants to run in a non-admin account (that has its advantages), it's easy to install software, even if that software requires an admin account: you simply type in the user name and password for ANY admin account on the computer. It's that simple. There is some software, including the high-end applications from Adobe, that must be run under an admin account, but not much.

Some people, especially older* people, seem to have a mental block when it comes to doing even simple things with computers, VCRs, DVD players, cameras, camcorders, etc. My mother never learned to program a VCR. If she wanted to tape something while she was gone, she'd start the VCR when she left, planning to be back before the 6-hour tape ran out. Yet, this same woman had a commercial pilot's license with multi-engine and instrument ratings. She didn't even bother to try to figure out how to program the VCR. (The manual was terrible, as usual, but she didn't even try to read it.) She had no trouble learning to use her iBook, mostly for email and web surfing, plus some board games. She also had no trouble figuring out her cel phone.

* Before someone starts yelling, they had better be considerably older than I am--60.

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acdc1174 said:

member since 16 Apr 2004 with 723 posts, unranked, send him a message or view his profile

Tue Jun 26, 2007 10:34 pm

This kind of BS baiting just makes me nuts. If you are so computer illiterate as to not be able to update your iTunes, then I HIGHLY doubt you are in the market for an iPhone. I'm not saying that to be a jerk, I truly mean it. if you don't have the BASIC ability to install iTunes, then iPhone isn't for you. That person probably isn't even interested as they would likely be intimidated by a device as complex as iPhone (even though to most it is going to be very easy to use)... go help yourself to the free Nokia. And as far as its user friendliness goes, YES IT IS USER FRIENDLY! MS Smartphones use ActiveSync. What a f-ing nightmare of a program. When it works, it's ok at best and all it does is sync and allow you to mount/browse your device. iTunes (for the vast majority of users) is a simple dowload/upgrade and it will allow you to sync, manage, and enjoy your movies, music, media on your computer.

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Intruder said:

member since 07 Jul 2004 with 3149 posts, TMO Mac Specialist, send him a message or view his profile

Tue Jun 26, 2007 11:28 pm

JimB12, at least log in and post rather than trolling anonymously.

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burrito said:

member since 07 Aug 2005 with 177 posts, unranked, send him a message or view his profile

Wed Jun 27, 2007 6:20 am

i've procrastinated and not installed the latest itunes yet.

lets walk through it:

apple menu>software update>install items>ok

my mom's computer illiterate, and my dad and i just switched her over to a mac mini.. she figured out how to update software by herself..

for some reason, i think "guest" is just trying to aggrivate people..

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A guest said: (hide)

Wed Jun 27, 2007 10:39 am

Guest wrote:
Having to install the latest version of iTunes didn't seem to hurt the sale of any particular model of iPod when it was first released.

Actually, when it was first released even installing iTunes still wouldn't allow you to use it on the vast majority of computers.

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A guest said: (hide)

Fri Jun 29, 2007 11:57 am

VSeward wrote:
Guest wrote:
I don't know that this is all that "user friendly". They are requiring that you take your phone home, install an application which you might have never used before. I know my mom would never install anything on the home computer. If this is supposed to pass the mom test, it fails just trying to get the phone to activate. I think for most people, it's a lot easier to call a phone number, recite a few numbers off of the receipt and then have a working phone.

Where do it say you have to install an application?

Oh, I forget that the rest of the world (PC)may not already have iTunes loaded. Mac users won't have to load anything, they just plug and go. Another reason to own a Mac.

Vern

Psst, check this out: http://www.ipodobserver.com/story/31999

I'm not sure why you would think that old versions of iTunes would have the functionality to activate a cell phone. Another reason for common sense.

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A guest said: (hide)

Fri Jun 29, 2007 2:08 pm

DaiMac wrote:
Guest wrote:
I am glad I grew up in an intelligent household where I didn't feel the need to take a stab at an anonymous person's mother to feel good about my choices in computing.

How intelligent could it have been if your mom can't handle installing iTunes, which I'm sure will be included on a CD with the iPhone that requires less than 6 clicks to go from insertion to completing installation? I literally had to show my grandma how to use a mouse when she got her first machine and she handled using iTunes easier than Outlook or Word for example. I think all people are saying is that your mom probably isn't going to buy a $500 smartphone if she isn't saavy enough to install a basic music player App. This phone isn't trying to compete with the 2 for $80 phones that your mom and dad use, but Treos and such that cost much more (if still possibly less than iPhone).

Also isn't the "mom test" also partly referring to the simple issue of how Moms, who control the purse strings in many households, perceive the device rather than if they want one for themselves? If Mom thinks its an OK device and not a horrendous waste of money she is more likely to approve Dad getting one, which is where 75% of the market for this type of device exists regardless. Maybe I'm wrong but I thought that was part of it.

I'm not even that excited about the iPhone, but your argument just doesn't make much sense as currently presented. Show us a phone in the same range of features and price that requires no computer interaction at all to activate its full range of features and then you _might_ have the beginnings of a point, until then its just meaningless anonymous trolling.

Unfortunately, the iPhone doesn't require an internet to activate it's full range of features, just the most basic one. How about making a simple phone call (implied by the name). As far as I know, a Windows Mobile device does not require that you connect to a computer to activate any of its features other than sync'ing directly with that computer. You can even set up exchange sync without connecting it to any computers. I pretty sure you don't need to connect a BB device to a computer in order to set it up either.

Why are you so sure that the iPhone is going to include and installation CD? I have seen no news stating this, but plenty of news stating that the phone required an internet connection to activate.

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gslusher said:

member since 13 Nov 2002 with 2088 posts, unranked, send him a message or view his profile

Fri Jun 29, 2007 2:39 pm

Anonymous wrote:

Unfortunately, the iPhone doesn't require an internet to activate it's full range of features, just the most basic one. How about making a simple phone call (implied by the name). As far as I know, a Windows Mobile device does not require that you connect to a computer to activate any of its features other than sync'ing directly with that computer. You can even set up exchange sync without connecting it to any computers. I pretty sure you don't need to connect a BB device to a computer in order to set it up either.

Why are you so sure that the iPhone is going to include and installation CD? I have seen no news stating this, but plenty of news stating that the phone required an internet connection to activate.

Would you like some cheese with that whine?

It's always possible to find fault. If you don't have an Internet connection, then don't buy an iPhone. It's that simple. It's roughly equivalent to, "One cannot activate a TV set without an electrical power connection." If you don't have power, don't buy a TV set. If your area has no TV coverage, don't buy a TV set. If the areas in which you want to use a cell phone aren't covered by ATT, then don't buy an iPhone. It's called "using intelligence." Try it. You may find that it's useful.

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A guest said: (hide)

Fri Jun 29, 2007 3:15 pm

gslusher wrote:
Anonymous wrote:

Unfortunately, the iPhone doesn't require an internet to activate it's full range of features, just the most basic one. How about making a simple phone call (implied by the name). As far as I know, a Windows Mobile device does not require that you connect to a computer to activate any of its features other than sync'ing directly with that computer. You can even set up exchange sync without connecting it to any computers. I pretty sure you don't need to connect a BB device to a computer in order to set it up either.

Why are you so sure that the iPhone is going to include and installation CD? I have seen no news stating this, but plenty of news stating that the phone required an internet connection to activate.

Would you like some cheese with that whine?

It's always possible to find fault. If you don't have an Internet connection, then don't buy an iPhone. It's that simple. It's roughly equivalent to, "One cannot activate a TV set without an electrical power connection." If you don't have power, don't buy a TV set. If your area has no TV coverage, don't buy a TV set. If the areas in which you want to use a cell phone aren't covered by ATT, then don't buy an iPhone. It's called "using intelligence." Try it. You may find that it's useful.

Sorry, but it's not whining, although you post comes close it. Would like some actual respect with your snide attitude? Sorry, no can do. Your analogy is terrible. Using your analogy it's really like trying to activate the iPhone with no battery installed. If you don't have power, don't turn it on. There was no intelligence in your post, only "intelligence".

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gslusher said:

member since 13 Nov 2002 with 2088 posts, unranked, send him a message or view his profile

Fri Jun 29, 2007 4:06 pm

Anonymous wrote:

Sorry, but it's not whining, although you post comes close it. Would like some actual respect with your snide attitude? Sorry, no can do. Your analogy is terrible. Using your analogy it's really like trying to activate the iPhone with no battery installed. If you don't have power, don't turn it on. There was no intelligence in your post, only "intelligence".

Sure, the previous post was whining: complaining about something for trivial reasons.

People without an Internet connection are unlikely to want an iPhone. If you object to using the Internet to activate the iPhone, then don't get one. In order to activate my Sirius radio, I had to use a phone or the Internet. (There was an extra charge for using the phone.) The iPhone activation may be a better experience than I had in getting my last cell phone. I bought the phone, then went somewhere else for an hour or so while they activated it. When I returned, they still had not been able to activate it. Two hours later, they finally got it activated.

One thing: realize that, as you will not make the effort to register and log in, you will be credited with every single "guest" and "anonymous" post, no matter how inane, as one cannot tell them apart, other than on some stylistic grounds.

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A guest said: (hide)

Fri Jun 29, 2007 4:54 pm

gslusher wrote:
Anonymous wrote:

Sorry, but it's not whining, although you post comes close it. Would like some actual respect with your snide attitude? Sorry, no can do. Your analogy is terrible. Using your analogy it's really like trying to activate the iPhone with no battery installed. If you don't have power, don't turn it on. There was no intelligence in your post, only "intelligence".

Sure, the previous post was whining: complaining about something for trivial reasons.

People without an Internet connection are unlikely to want an iPhone. If you object to using the Internet to activate the iPhone, then don't get one. In order to activate my Sirius radio, I had to use a phone or the Internet. (There was an extra charge for using the phone.) The iPhone activation may be a better experience than I had in getting my last cell phone. I bought the phone, then went somewhere else for an hour or so while they activated it. When I returned, they still had not been able to activate it. Two hours later, they finally got it activated.

One thing: realize that, as you will not make the effort to register and log in, you will be credited with every single "guest" and "anonymous" post, no matter how inane, as one cannot tell them apart, other than on some stylistic grounds.

Complaining about something trivial, yeah, that's not what you're doing. It was a discussion about how devices are activated and responding to a question about other smartphones. Sorry if you feel the need to respond that discussion about how something works with a blanket, don't buy it statement. Sorry if you think that someone cannot buy a device while highlighting it's drawbacks.

Registration, Smegistration. Complaining about something trivial -> whining. Did you bring the cheese?

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