Activation Method - Thoughts

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
I just watched the video on how to activate the iPhone and thought it looked cool, but my reaction was why? If I already have a cell phone account then it should jut be a matter of popping in the SIM card and off I go. I find it odd for a company that prides itself in minimalist install procedure of an iMac that you are actually having to do an extra step with the iPhone.



I have had plenty of, GSM based, phones and not one has ever needed activation. Granted I am outside of the USA, so maybe this is symptomatic of the way phones are dealt with over there, or the contract it signed with AT&T? I do believe that if the iPhone is to work anywhere else then Apple seriously needs to drop this unnecessary step.



Other than that, the iPhone looks good

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 10
    mr. memr. me Posts: 3,221member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ajmas View Post


    I just watched the video on how to activate the iPhone and thought it looked cool, but my reaction was why? If I already have a cell phone account then it should jut be a matter of popping in the SIM card and off I go. ...



    That's just it. The iPhone is not just a SIM card in a pretty case. It is your address book, iTunes music collection, iTunes video collection, photograph collection, WWW bookmarks collection, calendar, and email setup all on a mobile device. I don't know of a way that Apple could have made the setup of these volumes of data and information any simpler than using iTunes to activate your iPhone.
  • Reply 2 of 10
    ajmasajmas Posts: 601member
    I agree that the iPhone offers all this, but surely you should be able to use the basic features without activation, since the rest is just a matter of syncing. Heck my Sony-Ericsson may has many of these features, albeit in a basic form and it does not require activation.



    The SIM card is used less and less for storing any of this and more just for account identification. This is the little item that makes moving to a new phone easy, at least in terms of your account following you.



    I think the problem is that the iPhone is treated by Apple as an iPod with phone capabilities, rather than something that is a true hybrid of the two.



    What I would like to see is iSync used for the address book and calendar and iTunes used for all the multimedia content. This would also allow the phone to properly take advantage of the bluetooth capability.
  • Reply 3 of 10
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mr. Me View Post


    That's just it. The iPhone is not just a SIM card in a pretty case. It is your address book, iTunes music collection, iTunes video collection, photograph collection, WWW bookmarks collection, calendar, and email setup all on a mobile device. I don't know of a way that Apple could have made the setup of these volumes of data and information any simpler than using iTunes to activate your iPhone.



    It's the Internet in your pocket!
  • Reply 4 of 10
    onlookeronlooker Posts: 5,252member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ajmas View Post


    I agree that the iPhone offers all this, but surely you should be able to use the basic features without activation, since the rest is just a matter of syncing. Heck my Sony-Ericsson may has many of these features, albeit in a basic form and it does not require activation.



    The SIM card is used less and less for storing any of this and more just for account identification. This is the little item that makes moving to a new phone easy, at least in terms of your account following you.



    I think the problem is that the iPhone is treated by Apple as an iPod with phone capabilities, rather than something that is a true hybrid of the two.



    What I would like to see is iSync used for the address book and calendar and iTunes used for all the multimedia content. This would also allow the phone to properly take advantage of the bluetooth capability.



    Boo Hooo...
  • Reply 5 of 10
    mr. memr. me Posts: 3,221member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SpamSandwich View Post


    It's the Internet in your pocket!



    That it is.
  • Reply 6 of 10
    brussellbrussell Posts: 9,812member
    I think part of the reason Apple activates via iTunes is to lock the iPhone to AT&T, and to specific contracts with AT&T.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SpamSandwich View Post


    It's the Internet in your pocket!



    Hey big boy, is that the internet in your pocket, or...
  • Reply 7 of 10
    onlookeronlooker Posts: 5,252member
    I think it's funny how people can seem to complain about anything. Apple made the easiest way to connect your iPhone to everything you have in a simple 3 step process that took me less than 5 minutes, and people are like, Oh... that's just too much. I configured 3 email addresses by pressing one icon. How tuff was that???
  • Reply 8 of 10
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member
    I just love it when a new user immediately has much better ideas on how something should be designed than the hundreds of engineers and PhDs at Apple could come up with having worked on it full time for a couple years.



    Same thing with these people suing over this or that. No one is twisting your arm to buy it. Go play around with it at the Apple store, ask questions and then decide for yourself.



    Or go ask your lawyer if he thinks it is a wise decision or not.
  • Reply 9 of 10
    sdw2001sdw2001 Posts: 18,026member
    Let me echo some sentiments here: Boo fucking hoo. How can you complain about such a simple procedure? And yes, most phones need to be activated...either at the store or otherwise.
  • Reply 10 of 10
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SDW2001 View Post


    Let me echo some sentiments here: Boo fucking hoo. How can you complain about such a simple procedure? And yes, most phones need to be activated...either at the store or otherwise.



    You go girl! You sure showed him what time it is!
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