Best Buy to take iPhone 4 pre-orders alongside Apple tomorrow
Best Buy announced Monday that it will be an authorized participant in Apple's iPhone 4 pre-launch on Tuesday, in which customers can visit one of its retail locations to reserve one of the new handsets for pickup the following week.
Beginning tomorrow, June 15, customers can pre-order a 16 or 32GB iPhone 4 at any Best Buy or Best Buy Mobile standalone store nationwide then return to the same store on Thursday June 24 to take receipt of their new phone.
"It's exciting to have an opportunity to launch this iconic device with this pre-sale," said Shawn Score, president of Best Buy Mobile. "Adding the iPhone 4 to our stores alongside other great smartphones like the HTC EVO from Sprint and HTC Incredible on Verizon, gives customers a great opportunity to view each side-by-side and get the mobile phone that works best for them."
Best Buy joins rival specialty electronics retailer Radio Shack, who last week confirmed to AppleInsider that it was also authorized by Apple to gather iPhone 4 pre-orders from its customers.
As part of its effort, Radio Shack has reportedly been considering opening some of its shops a couple of hours early tomorrow to field pre-order signups from customers.
Come June 24th, iPhone 4 will also be available nationwide at AT&T and Wal-Mart locations. Unlike Best Buy and Radio Shack, however, Wal-Mart will not pre-sell the device to customers. Meanwhile, AT&T has said little about if and how it will field pre-orders.
Beginning tomorrow, June 15, customers can pre-order a 16 or 32GB iPhone 4 at any Best Buy or Best Buy Mobile standalone store nationwide then return to the same store on Thursday June 24 to take receipt of their new phone.
"It's exciting to have an opportunity to launch this iconic device with this pre-sale," said Shawn Score, president of Best Buy Mobile. "Adding the iPhone 4 to our stores alongside other great smartphones like the HTC EVO from Sprint and HTC Incredible on Verizon, gives customers a great opportunity to view each side-by-side and get the mobile phone that works best for them."
Best Buy joins rival specialty electronics retailer Radio Shack, who last week confirmed to AppleInsider that it was also authorized by Apple to gather iPhone 4 pre-orders from its customers.
As part of its effort, Radio Shack has reportedly been considering opening some of its shops a couple of hours early tomorrow to field pre-order signups from customers.
Come June 24th, iPhone 4 will also be available nationwide at AT&T and Wal-Mart locations. Unlike Best Buy and Radio Shack, however, Wal-Mart will not pre-sell the device to customers. Meanwhile, AT&T has said little about if and how it will field pre-orders.
Comments
Anyone planning on getting the EVO instead of the iPhone? I was looking at the EVO yesterday and it looks pretty good. It lacks the polish, ease of use and overall general high quality of the iPhone but some features you just can't overlook.
The tethering devices for example. I have a wifi iPad and love it but while camping over the weekend it would have been great if I couldve accessed the net on it. That Qik app on the droid also seems to be more...usable than the iPhone video.
BTW I'm an iPhone 3g user. I'm not an apple koolaid drinker as some people frame Mac users to be, but I and am pro Mac ever since getting the iPhone
...but concerned about the whole updating thing. Seems so far that the carriers are more about me buying a new phone rather than releasing the OS updates on schedule. I tend to keep my smartphones for a while, so this is an issue for me. This is a throw-back to the way the carriers like to do business - and I don't see Google driving significant changes in those behaviors. OTOH, The UI for EVO is very nice and its good to see hardware that complements the Android current features.
As I've mentioned before, there is this nagging little thought in the back of my head about Google and their business. NOTHING is free. Don't care what Google says - somehow I am paying for Android - and I suspect it is by letting them collect data and use my personal data for their ad revenues.
So there is my experience, my reservations, and I suppose why I will get an iPhone 4 ultimately instead of an EVO. Better the "demon" you know than the one masquarading as an "angel", to my mind.
Does anyone have strong opinions/ knowledge about the different warranties? This will determine whether I preorder from Best Buy or through apple.com.
The sale will be a blowout.
Anyone planning on getting the EVO instead of the iPhone? I was looking at the EVO yesterday and it looks pretty good. It lacks the polish, ease of use and overall general high quality of the iPhone but some features you just can't overlook.
The tethering devices for example. I have a wifi iPad and love it but while camping over the weekend it would have been great if I couldve accessed the net on it. That Qik app on the droid also seems to be more...usable than the iPhone video.
BTW I'm an iPhone 3g user. I'm not an apple koolaid drinker as some people frame Mac users to be, but I and am pro Mac ever since getting the iPhone
No. Just this morning my wife phoned me about something our youngest was doing. Would have been a perfect video call moment.
The EVO gets as little as 4 hours of battery life according to TechCrunch. If you're not in a 4G area it's better but still, and I quote, "miserable". And that's without tethering.
The iPhone 4 has a better screen - it actually fits in your pocket - and has "polish, ease of use and overall general high quality". My wife, who is a technophobe of the first magnitude loves her iPhone. We can share apps with the same id and soon we'll be making easy video calls.
Meanwhile, AT&T has said little about if and how it will field pre-orders.
Check out http://www.att.com/gen/press-room?pid=1574.
AT&T has put specifics on its website. You can pre-order via the website or in-store starting tomorrow, and you can pick up your pre-order at a store or have it shipped directly to you. The link above includes pricing details for the phone and plans, as well. I think this is pretty clear.
Anyone planning on getting the EVO instead of the iPhone? I was looking at the EVO yesterday and it looks pretty good. It lacks the polish, ease of use and overall general high quality of the iPhone but some features you just can't overlook.
The tethering devices for example. I have a wifi iPad and love it but while camping over the weekend it would have been great if I couldve accessed the net on it. That Qik app on the droid also seems to be more...usable than the iPhone video.
BTW I'm an iPhone 3g user. I'm not an apple koolaid drinker as some people frame Mac users to be, but I and am pro Mac ever since getting the iPhone
I guess I don't understand your rationale. You would rather buy a phone which, by your own words, is lower quality, harder to use and less polished because on 1 app (video) seems to be more useable even though I would guess you haven't used either app. Re tethering I don't understand as this is a carrier function which AT&T is providing now, with the iPhone 4. I assume what your talking about is actually the wifi hot spot. If that is your driver the you're correct but I'd rather pay the $15 for 1 month of service on my iPad for occasional use than switch overall quality of a phone.
For me personally the EVO is far too large to be a phone and too small to be a tablet. Its in the wrong space.
Thanks
David
No. Just this morning my wife phoned me about something our youngest was doing. Would have been a perfect video call moment.
The EVO gets as little as 4 hours of battery life according to TechCrunch. If you're not in a 4G area it's better but still, and I quote, "miserable". And that's without tethering.
The iPhone 4 has a better screen - it actually fits in your pocket - and has "polish, ease of use and overall general high quality". My wife, who is a technophobe of the first magnitude loves her iPhone. We can share apps with the same id and soon we'll be making easy video calls.
The Overdrive3G/4G battery life is only about 3 hours and the charge ratewhen connected does not keep up with battery drainage. Maybe adds an hour if the Overdrive is plugged in. 4G is very limited in left coast areas I recently visited. 3G was slow.
Wonder if Evo has the same situatation?
BTW, I was at Honolulu Ala Moana Apple store yesterday. Its was like Christmas. One could hardly get into the door.
Check out http://www.att.com/gen/press-room?pid=1574.
AT&T has put specifics on its website. You can pre-order via the website or in-store starting tomorrow, and you can pick up your pre-order at a store or have it shipped directly to you. The link above includes pricing details for the phone and plans, as well. I think this is pretty clear.
I can second that! Went in person yesterday to my local AT&T store and they confirmed that they will be taking pre-orders starting tomorrow. Does indeed sound like Apple is going all out for this launch by having multiple outlets take pre-orders and having them available on launch day. With problems surfacing about the EVO's battery issues as well as new reports coming out about the build quality, it might further bolster sales of the iphone 4.
I bought my 3G through 02 last time but through the shop. I was thinking about pre-ordering through Apple tomorrow. Has anybody bought through the Apple store before and selected a UK carrier and hit any problems?
Anyone planning on getting the EVO instead of the iPhone? I was looking at the EVO yesterday and it looks pretty good. It lacks the polish, ease of use and overall general high quality of the iPhone but some features you just can't overlook.
The tethering devices for example. I have a wifi iPad and love it but while camping over the weekend it would have been great if I couldve accessed the net on it. That Qik app on the droid also seems to be more...usable than the iPhone video.
BTW I'm an iPhone 3g user. I'm not an apple koolaid drinker as some people frame Mac users to be, but I and am pro Mac ever since getting the iPhone
So...you're going to buy a lesser device, just so you can access the net on your iPad...which you should have gotten with 3G based on your needs?
:-), actually I would rather the iPhone have wifi hotspot(yeah, i was referring to this when I mentioned tethering) capability without needing to jailbreak. My girl and I are in an ongoing debate about crossing over to the EVO.
I want my phone to make me breakfast and mow the lawn, too.
I'm comfortable with a noticeable drop in quality and product completeness for a couple of nice apps(how it handles video and GV integration). My problem is every time we talk about it she raises some good points about the iphone and I'm left wondering.
Really, tell us how much better it is at handling video. And tell me how this makes up for the other shortfalls.
I was hoping to get a few different perspectives on the iphone, or EVO.... or info on the EVO being so defective I wouldn't dare touch it.
Read up on it. Do a search. It looks to score well, though battery life and size are complaints.
Also, I would've bought the 3g Ipad but the story is I was going on a cruise that Saturday it released and I wasn't going to spend 7 days out to sea without it. Oh yeah, it was cool being the only person with an iPad on a boat of 3000!
So...you got it because you were impatient and wanted to look cool. Then, you essentially complain about not being able to tether it.
Also, 3g wasn't an option since I had no desire to add more money to my current phone bill
Your 3G iPad monthly charge is not a part of your phone bill.
Check out http://www.att.com/gen/press-room?pid=1574.
Thanks for posting this. I need to upgrade my wife's iPhone, convert to a family plan so I can add a new one for myself, and port my existing number to that line. I feel like there will be the least chance to mess something up if I do this with an AT&T rep.
Anyone planning on getting the EVO instead of the iPhone? I was looking at the EVO yesterday and it looks pretty good. It lacks the polish, ease of use and overall general high quality of the iPhone but some features you just can't overlook.
The tethering devices for example. I have a wifi iPad and love it but while camping over the weekend it would have been great if I couldve accessed the net on it. That Qik app on the droid also seems to be more...usable than the iPhone video.
BTW I'm an iPhone 3g user. I'm not an apple koolaid drinker as some people frame Mac users to be, but I and am pro Mac ever since getting the iPhone
I'm with you. Before iPhone 4 was announced, the Evo is/was the best phone out. I don't think it is a low quality build phone, this is a solid, feature-rich phone. Like my HD2, the build quality is nice and very good. Way better than my iPhone 3G built quality. I had all my iPhone friends see and hold my HD2, and they were honestly impressed with the built quality and some actually thought that Winmo OS was a good OS. When the iPhone 4 comes out, it will become the standard, but for now, give credit where credit is due, the Evo is a very good phone.
Can't wait till tomorrow to sign up for 2 iPhone 4 on my family plans
...but concerned about the whole updating thing. Seems so far that the carriers are more about me buying a new phone rather than releasing the OS updates on schedule. I tend to keep my smartphones for a while, so this is an issue for me. This is a throw-back to the way the carriers like to do business - and I don't see Google driving significant changes in those behaviors. OTOH, The UI for EVO is very nice and its good to see hardware that complements the Android current features.
As I've mentioned before, there is this nagging little thought in the back of my head about Google and their business. NOTHING is free. Don't care what Google says - somehow I am paying for Android - and I suspect it is by letting them collect data and use my personal data for their ad revenues.
So there is my experience, my reservations, and I suppose why I will get an iPhone 4 ultimately instead of an EVO. Better the "demon" you know than the one masquarading as an "angel", to my mind.
That is so funny because I have said the exact same thing to my friends and co workers.
Also the Sprint network is FAST....... they have an app that will let you setup and use your EVO as a wireless router! So you could have more thasn one laptop connect to it at the same time..... I might just get the EVO and use the Sprint's 30 try it for free offer...
Can't hurt...