This is kind of bull shit. What do they care how people want to pay? What if I don't believe in Credit Cards I can't get a phone?

The truth is they hate receiving cash period. Apple Retail Employees are forced to use those stupid hand held cash machines because it gets Apple two things, your credit card number and your email address. I'm sure this new CC only for iPhones is just the beginning. Soon Apple Retail will be CC only.

People have been getting bent out of shape and hyperventilating about this on places like cnet.com and engadget.com all weekend long.

All I can figure is that there are lots of resellers in those audiences.

Call me a fanboy, but despite the fact that it might inconvenience an occasional person who wanted to buy it just by himself/herself for a large family, I am with Apple on this one. With 15% to 20% of all sales being unlocked phones, creating a significant mass of user experience that is misaligned with what Apple intended could lead a lot of potential problems for Apple -- e.g., these same types will be caterwauling about broken software and hardware because of Apple's inability or unwillingness to fix it. In addition, use along those lines stiffs a partner -- albeit one that is not terribly sympathetic figure -- with whom Apple had entered into a good faith agreement. Finally, nothing would be worse that for Apple to introduce this in the UK, Germany, and France, and not have enough to meet demand. There will be a lot of p-o'ed customers that will have migrated to other smartphones.

I am amazed that people can't wait a few months. (On the other hand, as a shareholder, I must admit to being thrilled at what this presages re. demand for the product!).

It's business tactics like this that draw me further and further away from Apple. I'm in between Macs, sold my iBook and haven't bought a replacement yet, but the more 'news' Apple makes the less I like them as a company. I'm sure there are two sides to this but I don't think there is a shortage of iPhones for sale, so what gives?

Apple just wants control over the platform.

Better in the long run, methinks...

addition to post:
- after having unlocked a bunch of U.S. phones for EU use.
- stw

I always think it's best to assume the absolute worst. The press and anonymous commenters alike love to spin anything about Apple to mean the worst it could possibly mean. Believing them uncritically is the sensible route. Also: be sure to assume that AT&T has no say in protecting their agreements/contracts--it's sure to be 100% Apple's evil doing.

I feel just awful for all the folks with bad credit who wanted 3 iPhones

Question 1: is this two per household, or two per individual, or two per credit card, or two per day?

Question 2: will they accept a money order or check?

Question 3: will they accept a debit card or a pre-paid/secured credit card (both of which people with bad credit can still get)?

Question 4: will they take your credit card without getting your email address? (I can answer that from my own experience: Yes.)

I agree with this move, but it would probably achieve the same result to just limit cash unit sales to a single phone per person per week, something like that. That way cash customers would not be out of luck.

I don't know how the law is in the US but they certainly couldn't do that in the UK. Cash is legal tender. If they are selling something to the public they are obliged to accept cash.