Apple Limits Sale of iPhones: Two Per Person and No Cash
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Apple no longer accepts cash for iPhone purchases and now limits sales of the cellphone to two per person in a move to stop people from reselling them.
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Apple Inc. and AT&T Inc. said on  Tuesday they will offer three price plans, starting at $59.99  per month, for the widely anticipated iPhone that is set to go  on sale this week.
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Apple Inc  will offer a  $100 store credit to people who bought the iPhone before the  company slashed the price by $200, Chief Executive Steve Jobs  said in a statement on Thursday.
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(InfoWorld) - Apple on Friday offered iPhone owners instructions on how to file for the $100 in-store credit that CEO Steve Jobs promised last week. The credit, whichÂ Jobs announcedÂ after customers rose in revolt on hearing that the company hadÂ cut the price of the iPhoneÂ by one-third, is good for purchases at Apple's retail stores and its online shop, or by dialing Apple's toll-free sales number. IPhone owners, who have until Nov. 30 to apply for the credit, enter their iPhone's serial number and phone number in an online form, either using the iPhone or a PC or Mac. Apple then sends a text message to the iPhone with an access code, which in turn is used to retrieve the electronic credit. The credit consists of a credit number and a PIN, which can be used immediately in the online store or printed out for use later. A Computerworld editor who owns an iPhone confirmed the process, and received his electronic credit almost immediately. The $100 credit is also not good on some items, specifically iTunes purchases or gift cards, and it's valid only in the U.S., the sole market in which Apple has sold the iPhone to date. Because customers must have the iPhone in their possession to receive the credit, those people who sold theirs -- on eBay, for instance, sometimes for a loss when the late June debut didn't end with shortages at stores -- do not receive the credit. Instead, the current owner does. Although Jobs offered the $100 credit last week, saying, "We want to do the right thing for our valued iPhone customers," he also defended the decision to cut the price of the 8GB model from $599 to $399. "Now is the right time to do it," he said then. "IPhone is a breakthrough product, and we have the chance to 'go for it' this holiday season." The day before that announcement, those who had bought the iPhone in its first two months overwhelminglyÂ gave Apple a raspberry,Â seeing the cut as a cheap shot at early adopters and a slap in the face to long-loyal customers. The 4GB iPhone, which initially sold for $499, has been discontinued. Computerworld is an InfoWorld affiliate.
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(InfoWorld) - Consumers aren't willing to pay what AppleÂ may ask for theÂ iPhone, but if the price drops they'll switch their mobile service to AT&T in order to get it, according to results of a survey released Thursday. Online market research firm Compete Inc. surveyed 379 people in the U.S., most of whom had heard of the iPhone and have shopped for an iPod, to find out how interested they are in the device to produce the uncommissioned report. The iPhone is a combined music player and cell phone that Apple plans to start selling in the U.S. in June. Among the 26 percent of respondents who said they're likely to buy an iPhone, only 1 percent said they'd pay $500 for it. WhenÂ Apple introduced the iPhoneÂ in January, it said it would cost $500 on the low end. Forty-two percent of those who said they're likely to buy the phone said they'd pay $200 to $299. The iPhone will be available only to subscribers of Cingular Wireless, now part of AT&T. In a blow to the operator's competitors, 60 percent of those in the survey who said they were likely to buy the phone said they'd switch their mobile operator in order to get it. While the iPhone has been discussed as a competitor to other handsets like Research In Motion's BlackBerry, the two serve very different markets, said Andy Neff, an analyst at Bear Stearns who participated in a conference call to discuss the results of the study. "Even though there's talk about this as an alternative to RIM, it's not a corporate product," he said. Instead, the iPhone is an indication of a broad shift toward smartphones and the emergence of niches within the category, he said. The analysts were split on what price they think the device will ultimately retail for. Operators recently haven't been discounting phones in the similar price range as the iPhone, said Phil Cusick, an analyst at Bear Stearns. However, Apple has been known to announce a product with one price and ultimately sell it for less. Apple TV, for example, was expected to cost $399 but sells for $299, he said. The phone may start out around $500 because early adopters will pay that, said Neff. But pricing will likely drop by $100 to $200 to target the mass market, he said.
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Few would pay Apple's $500 asking price for the iPhone, although it would be a big seller if it cost less, a survey has found found.
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AppleStore buyers' ratings scheme limited to non-Apple products
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AT&T Inc , the exclusive U.S.  carrier for Apple Inc's  iPhone said on Thursday it  ended 2007 with "just at or slightly under 2 million iPhone  customers."
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Like more than a few iPhone users, Paul Forrester couldn&#8217;t believe his ears last Wednesday when Steve Jobs ended an Apple press event by announcing a $200 price cut to the iPhone. The price cut came a little more than two months after Forrester and other iPhone early adopters started plunking down as much as $599 for the newly released mobile device.
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Apple Inc. slashed the price of the top iPhone by $200 Wednesday to bolster holiday sales, but also angered loyal customers who paid top dollar in the gadget's first 10 weeks on the market.
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No true fans of the coveted  iPhone could be found standing in line outside Apple's flagship  store here a full day before the gadgets go on sale. There were  just exploiters, exploited and a few clowns.
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Apple decided this week to require a credit card or debit card to buy an iPhone, and there's now a two-iPhone limit at its retail stores.
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The price of Apple Inc.'s iPhone and the cost of switching to AT&amp;T Inc.'s wireless service may suppress demand for the device, according to a survey by the research firm IDC.
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Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs apologized and offered $100 credits Thursday to customers who shelled out $599 for the most advanced model of the iPhone this summer, only to have the company unexpectedly slash the price $200 in a push to boost holiday sales.
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Consumers planning to buy the iPhone at the end of the month will need an iTunes Store account to activate the device.
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Blog: An informal survey of AT&T stores across the country suggests each store had no more than 100 iPhones prior to launch--many with far less--while Apple stores had plenty.
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Apple said Wednesday it is scrapping the 4GB iPhone in favor of a single 8GB model, while dropping the price substantially. The surprise announcement came after news of new iPod models, including the iPod Touch. The iPhone will now cost $399 USD.