When we reported last week that Apple and AT&T would require iPhone 3Gs to be activated in-store or else no dice, the Internet let out a collective sigh. There are many who want to use the handset on non-AT&T networks, like T-Mobile. Being that they’re subsidized heavily, AT&T doesn’t like that idea at all, thus the policy. But there comes word today that the notion of in-store only activations might not be necessarily so.
Rumors from Apple Insider point to the idea that home activation may be possible if customers sign up online, making the in-store process smoother and shorter. While our AT&T rep can’t confirm or deny anything we haven’t already published, we think both companies would be foolish to put up extra hurdles for potential customers to jump through. And if there’s one thing the iPhone has shown us, people will find a way to unlock them and use them as they want, no matter what AT&T — or Apple — do.