Unlike iPhone Lines, iPhone Setup Process Mercifully Short

If you’re buying an iPhone 3G from Apple (AAPL) this Friday, the company expects the purchase process to take about 12 to 15 minutes–once you’ve actually made it inside an Apple Store. So Ron Johnson, Apple’s retail chief, told Bloomberg today. “Our expectation is that in 10 to 15 minutes, you’ll be set up and ready to go,” he said, adding that Apple’s retail stores hope to process about 100 customers an hour. Of course, that’s assuming everyone shows up with the required credit card and Social Security number so that the device can be activated immediately.