Apples rules for iPhone 3G launch - boring?

There are a whole set of launch week rules including:

Absolute NO’s

o No Promotions/Contests
o No Countdowns
o No Posters out of the store
o No Flyers
o No Radio remotes
o No Mailers
o No Alteration of Store Hours
o No Swag
o No Tshirts with any reference to Apple or Iphone
o No advertising until 13 weeks post launch

Launch day plans will soon be available. In the interim please do not
modify your store opening hours, speculate on launch plans, contact
the media or create any form of waitlists or advertising related to
the iPhone.

It looks like i{hone launch week is going to be a pretty boring event.

13 weeks from the launch will be right around Thanksgiving and Black
Friday
Maybe there will be some competitive deals then?

Some details of the iPhone 3G release to AT&T stores were released
earlier. Of note is an “activation only” version of iTunes which is
being offered as a beta download from Apple.com:

To ensure customers can leave with a fully functional iPhone, it
must be first be “unbricked”. This process involves using the tether
(a USB cable: see below) to connect/sync the iPhone to a unique
‘Activation Only’ version of iTunes via a computer. More information
about the unbricking process will be provided in training (found on
Fast Track and Sales Central) and you will be informed when the job
aid is available.


Come July 11th, the full version of iTunes 7.7 will be publicly
available which will also contain this “activation only” mode. Little
other new information is provided. Most of that appears as if it will
appear in a later training memo.

Further details come from an un-named but very trustworthy source. The
source tells us that AT&T employees are scheduled to be at work at
6:00am on the 11th of July. This early arrival is required for an
8:00am release of the iPhone 3G. This information meshes with the
rumored early start time that we posted last week. AT&T employees will
be required to work with all clients on a case by case basis so some
clients who enter the store may be interested in other devices than
the iPhone 3G. The first day of sales for the first generation iPhone
saw AT&T stores shift to an iPhone only sales period after 6:00pm.
This gave store personnel time to make the adjustment and allowed them
to focus solely on sales of the iPhone. The same source tells us that
AT&T employees will not be allowed to purchase the iPhone 3G until
some date after the 11th. This is in line with the policy that they
instituted for the first iPhone sales day in 2007. AT&T employees were
not allowed to purchase their own iPhone until at least a week after
the general public release in most locations.

Also released to AT&T employees were details on how to best control
the expected crowds and how to answer anticipated questions about
activation, rates, plans and other competing devices. No word has
leaked yet on the level of security that will be seen around AT&T and
Apple stores on the 11th but we expect it to be tight.

4phun wrote:

> Also released to AT&T employees were details on how to best control
> the expected crowds and how to answer anticipated questions about
> activation, rates, plans and other competing devices. No word has
> leaked yet on the level of security that will be seen around AT&T and
> Apple stores on the 11th but we expect it to be tight.

Do not drink tap water during the first 21 days of the new iPhone’s
release. Boil water for three minutes.

4phun wrote:

> No word has leaked yet on the level of security that will be seen
> around AT&T and Apple stores on the 11th but we expect it to be tight.


Oooh. Rent-iThugs at the door?

On Jun 30, 9:10*pm, 4phun <vic.hea...@gmail.com> wrote:
> There are a whole set of launch week rules including:
>
> * * Absolute NO’s
>
> * * o No Promotions/Contests
> * * o No Countdowns
> * * o No Posters out of the store
> * * o No Flyers
> * * o No Radio remotes
> * * o No Mailers
> * * o No Alteration of Store Hours
> * * o No Swag
> * * o No Tshirts with any reference to Apple or Iphone
> * * o No advertising until 13 weeks post launch
>
> Launch day plans will soon be available. In the interim please do not
> modify your store opening hours, speculate on launch plans, contact
> the media or create any form of waitlists or advertising related to
> the iPhone.
>
> It looks like i{hone launch week is going to be a pretty boring event.
>
> 13 weeks from the launch will be right around Thanksgiving and Black
> Friday
> Maybe there will be some competitive deals then?

In many ways, it is amazing that Apple can do this for the iPhone. I
hardly know of any product that has had so much free hype as the
iPhone has received in the last 18 months. The phone is great, but is
doesn't cure cancer (at least, not yet).

Matt David
Free iPhone Ring Tones at: http://iphoneringttones.squarespace.com/

To help clarify any confusion about the upgrade process, AT&T has
posted a number of walkthrough videos giving more information about
the upgrade process for customers. AT&T announced that the iPhone 3G
will be on sale starting at 8 a.m. local time at their AT&T stores.

Existing AT&T Customer Video
This covers the different scenarios if you are an existing AT&T
customers. AT&T recommends you back up your iPhone with iTunes prior
to buying the iPhone 3G. Additionally, voicemail will be deleted when
you upgrade, so you should be sure to catch up on your voicemail prior
to upgrading. Once you upgrade to the iPhone 3G, you can give your
original iPhone to someone else who can activate it through iTunes and
sign up for new service.

New AT&T Customer Video
This video is for customers activating new service at AT&T. These
individuals can visit AT&T stores prior to July 11th to undergo a
credit check to save time on the actual launch day. AT&T recommends
you back up your phone data prior to July 11th. You will need a photo
ID and social security number to start new service. If you are
interested in porting your phone number from your existing carrier,
you will need: your account number, account holder name, billing
address, social security number and PIN or password. Most of this
information is on your bill from your current carrier.

Apple has not yet announced what time their retail stores will open on
July 11th. AT&T announced plans and pricing for the iPhone 3G earlier
today.