Here’s a Sunday night conundrum for you: it’s no longer possible to purchase an iPhone from AT&T’s online store if you live in New York City, and as of right now, the carrier isn’t saying why. Making matters worse, some online customer service reps have apparently gone rogue in providing explanations to curious would-be customers and the occasional inquisitive blogger — the Consumerist was told that NYC wasn’t “ready for the iPhone,” and a few others (including us) were fed a line about credit card fraud causing a ban on online sales.
The fraud explanation would actually make sense, considering NYC-area Apple and AT&T stores all have the phone in stock and are happily selling them, but Ma Bell still hasn’t put this story to bed with an official explanation — all we’ve heard so far is the charmingly generic “We periodically modify our promotions and distribution channels.”
Way to quell a fire with the gasoline of ambiguity, friends. Anyway, if you want an iPhone in New York City right this instant, you should start walking to the 24-hour Fifth Avenue Apple Store, taking the opportunity to assess your priorities and fundamental sense of purpose along the way. The rest of us will continue spending a reasonable percentage of our income on housing.
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The fraud explanation would actually make sense, considering NYC-area Apple and AT&T stores all have the phone in stock and are happily selling them, but Ma Bell still hasn’t put this story to bed with an official explanation — all we’ve heard so far is the charmingly generic “We periodically modify our promotions and distribution channels.”
Way to quell a fire with the gasoline of ambiguity, friends. Anyway, if you want an iPhone in New York City right this instant, you should start walking to the 24-hour Fifth Avenue Apple Store, taking the opportunity to assess your priorities and fundamental sense of purpose along the way. The rest of us will continue spending a reasonable percentage of our income on housing.
