Perhaps it isn’t exactly a new term, but I hate that term regardless. A smartphone can do many things without a cellular connection, a cell plan is not an “activation” but a feature upgrade.
You’re not even right. You are genuinely activating the SIM card and anyone around you paraphrasing to “activating a phone” is also correct, because nobody cares what other meaning you personally wish to ascribe to the task.
No, I mean the context is, when you buy a phone from Best Buy, the sales person uses deceptive language to frame it as if your phone will not function unless you purchase a plan by asking “Would you like to activate your phone right now”, implying its locked and can’t even be used for Google Voice/VOIP calls, and as a multi-function tool (GPS, Camera, Notes, E-Reader, Audio Recorder, etc…).
Not sure if this fits this comm, but I hate that the act of buying a phone plan and inseting a sim card is now referred to as “activation”.
“Activation” is the iPhone forced internet-setup thing, not the fact that you use wifi-only instead of cellular. 🤦♂️
Activating your SIM card is the best term.
I thought it was activation before the iPhone existed
Activation fees certainly did.
Perhaps it isn’t exactly a new term, but I hate that term regardless. A smartphone can do many things without a cellular connection, a cell plan is not an “activation” but a feature upgrade.
You’re not even right. You are genuinely activating the SIM card and anyone around you paraphrasing to “activating a phone” is also correct, because nobody cares what other meaning you personally wish to ascribe to the task.
You understand that SIM cards aren’t actually active until they’re connected to the network for the first time, right?
Correct. But SIM =/= Phone
You have heard of the concept of using your phone as a Wifi-Only Device, right?
Why are you buying a phone plan if you’re not using the mobile network?
I know one person who does this. It’s simple: apple discontinued the ipod touch. He had no other choice than to get an iphone without a sim
No, I mean the context is, when you buy a phone from Best Buy, the sales person uses deceptive language to frame it as if your phone will not function unless you purchase a plan by asking “Would you like to activate your phone right now”, implying its locked and can’t even be used for Google Voice/VOIP calls, and as a multi-function tool (GPS, Camera, Notes, E-Reader, Audio Recorder, etc…).
Deceptive Corporatist language.
Aha, okay, much clearer what you meant now. Yeah, they surely get a kickback for each new subscription.