For all its popularity, the iPhone has not been one of the most accessible smartphones around. To the contrary, it has seen a fairly limited market exposure, typically being available only through AT&T or Apple retail stores since the 3G version was launched. As online ordering became more of an option, new iPhone owners still had to find and travel to an actual retail store to pick it up. The company has slowly seen the light of additional sales mechanisms and has apparently now made complete online ordering a possibility.
At long last, users can buy an iPhone 3G via the online Apple Store and have it delivered straight to their doors. That doesn't mean Apple has ditched AT&T as the sole iPhone service provider in the U.S. - you still will need to sign up to an AT&T rate plan. Furthermore, only new customers can have their iPhones delivered, while existing AT&T customers can go through the sign-up process online but will still have to pick up the device at a retail store.