Given how kick-in-the-crotch fake the last supposed leaked memo from Rogers (the Canadian GSM monopoly and exclusive iPhone 3G carrier) was, I’m taking this with a Rockies-sized grain of salt. If even remotely accurate, however, it looks like:
In order to unbrick the iPhone in store (which is a requirement of the iPhone Sales Process), you must have iTunes version 7.6.3b4. Installed on your computer. This version has a special ‘Activation Only Mode’ that must be enabled and used in store.
For complete details, including the unbelievable but very Rogers-like ban on all forms of publicity, posters, and promotion (no advertising until 13 weeks post-launch?!), and more telco-related acronyms and contractions than you can shake your head at, check out the read link.
Read
Apple Insider claims to have gotten their hands on a three page memo from Apple to Apple Store staff containing a form of Frequently Asked Questions. We say “a form” because the officially dictated answers to almost all customer questions are pretty much variations on “we dunno.”
Highlights include:
- No holding iPhone 3G’s
- First come, first serve
- No personal shopping reservations
- No info regarding upgrades
- iPod Touch is competitive due to lack of contract requirement
- No info on future iPod Touch price drops
- Talk to AT&T about activations
- Talk to AT&T about corporate and bulk purchases
- Talk to AT&T about roaming
- Wait for AT&T to release detailed rate plans
Apple also reminds staff that loose lips sink ships. (They’re not to speculate beyond the meager amount of information already released to the public.)
Should be easy, given that it’s only a few weeks before release, and we still know so very little…
Read
There’s a memo being circulated everywhere from TiPb’s comments to some of the biggest sites on the blogsphere, that purports to contain leaked information on Rogers — the GSM monopoly with de-facto exclusive iPhone 3G rights in Canada — rate plans, including data rates, which have historically been a HUGE issue for Canadians.
The information in this memo gives the impression that Canadians, at long last, might just get the same data rates as AT&T. In fact, the memo seems nearly identical in almost every find-and-replace way to the AT&T memo that leaked a while back. This has led many, myself included, to believe it’s just another hoax, another way to toy with the battered-consumer syndrome sufferers north of the border.
(Of course, none of this would be possible if Rogers would just release their own plan info — like almost every real carrier has already done!)
UPDATE: There’s a second theory circulating which suggests that the memo may be both legit, and also an almost find-and-replace match for the AT&T memo, reason given Apple influence/wording or just similar contract terms agreed to with Apple.
I’m still not sure. This would be such a radically good departure towards fairness and competitiveness that I just can’t bring myself to believe Rogers would do it. Please, PLEASE, prove me wrong! $30 unlimited for data, even given the more-evil 3 year term, would be industry-shifting good.
