Remeber way back when- you know, when the first iPhone launched, when you could just buy your iPhone at home, activate and set it up without ever setting foot in a store?

Those good ol’ days are back, and just in time for the holiday season! Unfortunately though, this comes back with a lot more restrictions. For one, you can only do this for a new account or adding a line to a plan; if you want to upgrade you have to go to a store (this is really annoying, I mean seriously, why not upgrades?).

And for those of you looking to snag a $199 iPhone and then unlock and go to another network like T-Mobile, that is not as simple anymore either. AT&T will watch your order for an undefined amount of time to make sure you activate it and not just run off with a cheap iPhone (which is really not a good idea for you to do, as if they catch you, it will cost you a lot more than an iPhone 🙂 ).

So what you think- you gonna give the gift of iPhone this holiday season (maybe convince a relative to get you one 😉 )? Let us know in the comments.

News and info from Boy Genius Report.com