The good news is that getting started with an iPhone is a simple, painless process. You've got your hands on one, so it's time to get going.
Before you can use the iPhone, you have to download and install iTunes on your computer or make sure that if you are using the most current version if it's already installed. To get started, jump into any of the following sections that apply to your particular situation.
Get ready for this part of the process by taking all the goodies out of iPhone's box. For now, you'll need the phone, the USB-to-Dock cable, and the Dock. Take all the protective plastic off each item.
Connect the USB end of the cable to an available USB port on your computer.
Connect the other end of the cable to the Dock.
Gently place the iPhone into the Dock by sliding its bottom into the Dock until it connects. When it connects, you see the Apple logo on the iPhone as it starts up. The Activation screen appears briefly, iTunes becomes active on your computer, and your iPhone appears on the iTunes Source list and in the Content pane.
Click Continue. You see the AT&T account screen prompting you to choose whether you are a new or existing AT&T customer. If you are a new customer, you have to create an account with AT&T and activate one or more iPhones. If you already have an AT&T account, you can replace your current account with iPhone or add it as a new line. For simplicity's sake, the rest of these steps assume that you are a new customer and are activating one iPhone. The other scenarios work out the same way—just read and follow the onscreen instructions.
Select the AT&T account option applicable to you.
Click Continue. What you see depends on the option you selected; the rest of these steps assume that you are new to AT&T and are activating a single iPhone. You move to the Transfer Your Mobile Number screen that enables you to move an existing number onto iPhone.
Not So Fast - If other applications, such as iPhoto on a Mac, open when you connect the iPhone, quit them until you've activated the iPhone.
If you want to move an existing number onto the iPhone, complete the form. If you want a new number, leave the form empty. Click Continue.
If you choose to move an existing number onto the iPhone, the activation process can take up to six hours. The rest of these steps assume that you are putting a new number on the iPhone.
You see the Select Your Monthly AT&T Plan screen. The plans you see depend on where you live, but the information should be self-explanatory. At press time, the differences between the plans were monthly cost versus talk time; all plans included unlimited data access.
You can also add more text messages to your account if you need them. At press time, all accounts included 200 text messages per month.
Select the plan and text message options you want and click Continue. You see the iTunes Account screen.
Enter your Apple ID and Password and click Continue.
Sooner or Later, You'll Need an Apple ID - If you didn't already create an Apple ID, leave the form blank and click Continue. You're led through the creation of an iTunes Store account, which you must have to activate an iPhone.
Enter or confirm information as you are prompted, and click Continue. You see the Billing Information screen.
Provide the required billing information and click Continue.
If prompted to confirm your address, do so and click Continue. After you provided all necessary information, the terms and conditions screen appears.
If you have hours to kill and are legally minded, read the terms and conditions; when you're done, check the check box and click Continue and then repeat the process with the next legal screen. You see the Review Your Information screen.
If everything looks correct, click Continue. You see the activation processing screen on your computer and on your iPhone.
When the process is complete, you see the Completing Activation screen. The most important bit of information on this screen is your new phone number.
AT&T begins activating your iPhone. When it is active, you see the iPhone is activated screen on your iPhone.
Click Continue. You see the Set Up Your iPhone screen.
Enter a name for your iPhone in the Name field.
If you want your calendars, contacts, email accounts, and so on to sync, leave the check box checked.
Click Done. iTunes moves the information from your computer onto iPhone. You see the sync progress screens on your computer and on iPhone.
After iPhone is active, set up, and in sync, you can start using all its great features. You'll want to start by learning to use its cell phone features, moving iTunes music and video onto it, syncing podcasts, and so on. And that's where the rest of this book comes in.
