Originally Posted by
opus17
Seriously, Apple has a product that they sell for twice their cost -- to a market that, for the most part, doesn't even need it, but just wants it. What do they have to lose if people don't activate it? It seems AT&T takes the hit, not Apple.
This may be true, although it has been rumored that Apple gets a cut of the ATT charges.
BTW, given the "not for the technically squeamish" nature of what is described to hack around activating, it's worth noting again that you can activate the phone and then cancel. If you cancel the plan within 30 days, you don't need to pay the $175 termination fee to ATT. If you cancel within 3 days, they also refund the ($36, I think?) activation fee. So you can buy iPhone, activate, and cancel in the first 3 days, and that may be simpler than the technical hack described. You'd be left with a small capacity, large-screen video iPod with Wi-Fi email and web surfing capability and calendar and contacts that sync with a computer. Should still work for a 911 call.