“Apple is mulling a plan that would see the company extend sales of its upcoming iPhone 3G through top universities, and is separately considering a new protection service plan for college students,” Kasper Jade reports for AppleInsider.
“People familiar with the matter say the Cupertino-based company is ‘intensively’ looking into the possibility of allowing on-campus stores and other educational resellers to market the new touch-screen handset to student populations,” Jade reports.
“The move would initially be carried out at a number of universities where the company maintains large and active accounts, those people say, though a definitive decision is unlikely until after next month when management can fully assess the more critical retail roll-out and new in-store activation process,” Jade reports.
Much more in the full article here.
As a university faculty member, I say BRING IT ON, thank you very much
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Absolutely.. I would buy it in an instant from my bookstore!
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BRING IT ON!
We’ve always known that Apple has class.
By “top universities” are we talking ivy-league only schools? Why not all?
I’m sure that a higher % of the student population in those schools can afford Apple gear than other schools, but still…:(
Heck, as long as PCPC at Dalhousie Uni. (Halifax, Nova Scotia) can carry it I’ll be happy. Selfish…I know aha
Weird. How are they going to assure ATT account setup from a bookstore?
What is a “protection service plan?” A lock in to a particular service provider?
Why not just sell the bloody things online? Then they wouldn’t have to bother with this junk.
Isn’t it a bit ironic that Apple, which is one of the most forward thinking tech companies, and is in the fore-front of online sales and marketing, won’t sell it’s flagship product from it’s online store?
Boo Hissssss! 🙁
“Why not just sell the bloody things online?”
Pressure from AT&T is most likely the reason.
I agree with Jeremy. At this point I see no compelling reason to worry about the in-store-activation. Most of the “gray-market” iPhones were going to overseas markets where the iPhone was simply not available.
With 22 countries online in July and 70 countries online by the end of the year, I would think that gray market sales in the US will dry up completely. If people can’t get the iPhone in their own country they will simply go to a neighboring country, not to the US.
All that’s left is China and Russia. Once they go online, the gray market for iPhones will be insignificant. Until then, they will buy their iPhones from Japan, India and Europe—not the US.
Good point, Synthmeister but large (and occasionally paranoid) corporations like AT&T are slooooow to figure out that most of the danger has passed. They’re just now reacting to the unlocking and reselling phenomena from months ago.
Case in point, the RIAA and MPAA as well as the studios and major labels may never learn. And a bloated, slow-moving behemoth like Microsoft also fits in there neatly.
Ah, Monsieur AT&T, a mint for you? It is wafer thin…
“Weird. How are they going to assure ATT account setup from a bookstore?”
Hmm, maybe purchasers will use that thing called the internet. You reckon?
From what I’ve heard, they won’t (can’t??) sell them online because of their arrangement with AT&T;. AT&T;is subsidizing the cost of each iPhone. They’re paying Apple the $200 difference so the phone only costs you $199 and $299. AT&T;is expecting to make this money back with your two year subscription, thus they MUST get you to sign-up.
If Apple sell them online, they run the risk of people buying them for $199, unlocking them, and not signing up with AT&T;. Apple could care less if you sign up. They no longer get any $$ from AT&T;from your monthly fees. They just want to sell the phones. Apple would love to sell them online as they’d easily sell many more phones with little effort.
It’s AT&T;that’s requiring the online blackout and in-store activations to make their money back. So ask yourself, if Apple sold the phones online without the AT&T;subsidy for $399 and $499, would you buy them? Probably not.