14 DAY TRIAL // On Tuesday, Bloomberg scored an interview with Apple retail chief Ron Johnson, who shed more light on how Apple employees will handle the crowds, activate the iPhones and more. Apparently, activating an iPhone with AT&T will take no longer than 10 to 15 minutes, according to Johnson, while iPhone 3G supplies are still shrouded in mystery.
AppleInsider points out to a few aspects regarding the launch of iPhone 3G at Apple Retails stores, quoting retail chief Ron Johnson as saying that Apple Specialists should be able to activate iPhones with AT&T in about a quarter of an hour. "Our expectation is that in 10 to 15 minutes, you'll be set up and ready to go," Johnson said, according to the publication.
Also, "each of Apple's 185 US-based retail stores aim to handle about 100 customers an hour," the list mentions, while the same Apple Specialists will take 30 customers at a time from the line, bringing them inside the store to activate their devices.
Naturally, many of you may think that you might make a mistake and choose the wrong plan, having to rush things up to get your iPhone activated in such a small period of time. Not to worry, says Johnson, as they'll "spend as long as it takes with [their] customers to make sure they're happy with the phone.''
As far as supplies go, not even Johnson could give out actual numbers or even a confident claim that there would be enough iPhones to go around for everyone. The only forecast he could make was this: "[There's] pent-up demand because we haven't had phones for a while. Our goal is to always have enough supply for every customer."
Unfortunately for couch potatoes, Johnson also mentions that Apple currently has no plans to offer the new iPhone 3G through its online store.
Apple is also taking precautions to not let anyone resell iPhones overseas or modify them for use on unauthorized wireless networks, Johnson revealed, confirming that "Apple will require customers to pay with a credit card and supply a Social Security number so the device is activated immediately."