AT&T is making many advanced preparations in anticipation of the Apple iPhone release, which will take place on June 29th. The company is planning to accommodate massive amounts of traffic in its retail stores on that date, by customers eager to purchase the iPhone and sign up for cell phone service.
Today, Randall Stephenson, the Chief Executive at AT&T announced that at least 40 percent of all of the people seeking information from AT&T about the iPhone are not currently AT&T customers. So, many users will be trading in their old cell phones and services for the iPhone and the AT&T service.
Steve Jobs, of Apple, is telling potential iPhone consumers that their best bet for obtaining the iPhone is through AT&T rather than through the Apple stores. Yes, the Apple stores will carry the iPhone units, but the employees are not trained in all of the available connection plans, the plan options and the set-up required to activate the iPhones.
In preparation for the anticipated traffic to its stores, AT&T is hiring more store employees, as well as security staff. Stephenson believes that all of the interest in the iPhone indicates that the iPhone will do better in sales than anyone is predicting and will exceed consumer’s expectations.
Until the actual day of release, no one knows how well the iPhone will actually do in terms of number of sales. Critics of the iPhone caution that as revolutionary as it promises to be, the iPhone is still a work in progress.
In other iPhone news, rumor all over the internet has it that Oprah Winfrey is in talks with Apple to feature an iPhone giveaway on her television show. In the past, Oprah has given away iPods to her audience, so it wouldn’t be too surprising if the rumors turn out to be true.
Mary Ann Romans also writes for the Frugal Living Blog here at Families.com, where she shares money saving tips for today’s families.
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