My iPhone 4 will be shipped to the AT&T store, and they said that either they could activate it in the store, or I could take it home and activate it myself. This is different from last year when they said that they had to activate the 3GS in the store even though it was an upgrade from my 3G. I'm glad that it was activated in the store, however, since the unit that they gave me was defective, and they swapped it out for another right then. If I had gone home and come back, they probably would have told me to go through the Apple store (Genius Bar appointment, etc) which would have been a bit of a pain. Plus, if something goes screwy with the activation, I'm probably better off with an AT&T rep handling it right then. Fortunately, my AT&T store has friendly and helpful reps, unlike some others that I've visited.
On the other hand, I kind of like to be the one to handle and setup my phone. If the store is crazy with activations that day, I may just do it myself.
On the other hand, I kind of like to be the one to handle and setup my phone. If the store is crazy with activations that day, I may just do it myself.