Despite all the hype, iPhone details are still scarce for would-be buyers

The closest Peter Tribeman has gotten to Apple iPhone's elegant touch screen is a television commercial. Now he wants one. There's only one problem: You can't just get it anywhere.

The most-hyped phone in history goes on sale at 6 p.m. June 29 -- a product launch turned cultural watershed that has created tremendous expectations. An estimated 19 million Americans have "strong interest" in buying the phone that Apple Inc. has promoted as a "breakthrough Internet device," according to mobile market measurement firm M:Metrics.

The buzz and secrecy surrounding the $499 phone have created a cultlike following, but so far Apple and AT&T, formerly known as Cingular Wireless, have been short on the details -- including basics like how to get one.

"My story is I walk into the Cingular [store] last week and wanted to put my name on the list for getting one," said Tri beman, a Norwood technology executive. The salesperson told him that the store was a franchise and would not carry the phone, which would be available only at Apple stores or corporate-owned AT&T stores.

"I'm shocked," Tribeman said. "I thought anyone that was a Cingular store was going to carry the iPhone." The phone's availability is just one of a number of details that remain confusing as stores begin to gear up for the kinds of lines and crowds that accompany big releases of consumer electronics , such as the Nintendo Wii video game system.

Despite the flashy ads, no one knows yet whether the iPhone will have its own service plan or whether people will buy one of AT&T's existing plans for voice and data. It's unclear whether people who buy the phone at an Apple store will have to take it to an AT&T store to have it activated or sign up for service at the Apple store.

AT&T said details about the terms of service and activation will be revealed next week prior to launch.

The phone -- which will come in a four gigabyte version for $499 and an eight gigabyte one for $599 -- has not been released to gadget reviewers.

But yesterday Apple did reveal another tidbit about the phone -- that the battery life has been extended to eight hours of talk time from five.

Issuing nuggets of news may be a marketing tactic. "In this case, it's actually a very effective tool in creating hype. Since Apple has such a large base of loyal users, it's a teasing kind of approach to keep those details 'til the last minute,' " said Chris Ambrosio , director of device research at Strategy Analytics.

AT&T spokeswoman Kate MacKinnon said that the 25 corporately owned AT&T stores in Massachusetts will carry the iPhone, but 84 authorized retailers -- which may look just like the company-owned stores -- will not carry the phone initially.

For those trying to plan their iPhone vigil, corporate-owned stores will be rebranded as AT&T stores by launch.

Both Apple's and AT&T's websites allow people to sign up for information about the device, but haven't yet added a "buy iPhone" button; MacKinnon said the phone would be available online at Apple's website. Salespeople at area Apple and AT&T stores said there was no waiting list and the phone would be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Carriers' studies have found that customers who buy service through company-owned stores are "higher value" customers who are more loyal, less likely to switch service, and willing to spend more, according to Charles Golvin, an analyst at Forrester Research.

Representatives at some AT&T franchise stores said they did not know when they would be able to sell the phone.

"Apple is widely known for doing things differently, and in particular for doing things their own way," Golvin said.

Carolyn Y. Johnson can be reached at cjohnson@globe.com.