Apple and AT&T Have You By The Balls

If you thought you were going to walk into an Apple store next month and just purchase the new iPhone 3G think again. I heard somewhere that you had to purchase a contract before they would let you walk out of the store with the phone. I went over to my local Apple store today to see if what I heard was true. The answer is a big fat YES. The only way you’re going to get out of the store with a phone is if you physically grab one and run out of the store. I strongly recommend you don’t do that. This is going to be a real bummer if you bought the iPhone last year and signed up for a two year contract. Hence, the title of this article.

All in all I don’t think this is going to stop iPhones 3G from leaking into the market, but it is a measure by Apple and AT&T to try and put some control around the iPhones release. If you remember last year when the iPhone was unlocked it caused a huge uproar. Apple doesn’t want that to happen again if they can do something about it. Remember, Apple is a maker of proprietary electronics and always have been. So, in closing, if you were planning on walking into an Apple store next month to purchase the phone remember you won’t be able to unless you purchase an AT&T plan.