AT&T has planned an even more stupendous opening for the iPhone 4 launch on June 24th this year than the last year. It has opened the gates to the new iPhone 4G for all customers this year unlike last year’s strategy of only pre-order customers.
The stores will open at 7a.m. and to keep supplies in check, the carrier is also imposing a hard limit of one iPhone of any kind for new customers and one per line for existing customers.
The specific promotion plans for AT&T would also be on a larger scale than the last year, the memo obtained by Engadget said. Staff at the stores will be given and encouraged to wear a shirt with the AT&T logo. Although intended to be reused for other special events in the future, they will all have a rainbow color scheme reminiscent both of AT&T’s recent rebranding scheme and the classic Apple logo.
Most stores in areas with AT&T’s U-verse IPTV and Internet access have been told to advertise AT&T services to the customers although some have been told to avoid promotion as long as there’s a line of customers.
Most of the other preparations are on the same lines as the previous year’s launch. AT&T is forbidding staff from making reserve lists and from telling customers any precise updates on when stores can expect new stock or how many units will arrive.
The preparations give ample indications that neither AT&T nor Apple expects the demand for iPhone to slacken despite the success of newcomers like Sprint’s HTC EVO 4G and Verizon’s HTC Droid Incredible. Rumors of Apple tying up with Verizon in the near future for a Verizon iPhone have also fuelled AT&T’S ambition.
June 24 launch of iPhone may turn out to be AT&T’s last major chance to use the iPhone as a bargaining chip while it promotes its other services.
Also read: Apple Delaying White iPhone 4 Release For Antenna Redesign?