I spent over an hour trying to order from the online Apple Store (4.7-inch, space gray, 128 GB) to no avail. The closest I got was a properly configured phone but a disabled “Add to Cart” button.
Gave up, went to the Verizon website, and successfully ordered there. I think. Verizon’s website is almost spectacularly convoluted and ugly as sin.
You’d think after eight years Apple would be able to deal with this. No surprise demand is high — the iPhones 6 are amazing, and bigger displays have been long-awaited — but the online store crapping itself so utterly is just embarrassing.
And no other company on the planet has these kind of preorders.
Millions and millions of orders all coming in at once is just maybe too much to handle.
Nope, don't buy it!!!
Apple lives on 'Just Works' and the 'Best User Experience', so they of any company should be overly prepared to handle 10x the volume just to give the best user experience!
If Apple wanted to give the impression of huge demand, selling out of pre-order stock in x seconds would have been a better headline.
I don't think the rating button is useless... it always helps me see what other dumbasses agreed with a stupid post. " src="http://forums-files.appleinsider.com/images/smilies//lol.gif" />
There is no precedent for this kind of thing. All they have is past experience. Which if they beef up infrastructure to handle that, and traffic exceeds it, again no precedent.
Its easy to say that they should be able to figure it out and adjust accordingly.... but its easy for us to say that.
Apple can't handle a live stream, can't handle large call volumes, but they want to handle billions of credit card transactions.... they better get better IT staff, and quick!
I challenge any company to host a streamed event that is hit by that many people at once trying to watch it.
Actually it is quite easy. The cable companies do it everyday. It is called distributed load balanced delivery. For example, the other night when President Obama made a speech it was broadcast around the world to billions of viewers simultaneously. They have a satellite feed from the White House which is then downloaded to perhaps a few thousand different cable providers who then distribute to their customers.
Apple could have easily used a similar method to deliver their live event using Akamai's worldwide distributed network. The overwhelming load on the server still doesn't explain why people in the US were hearing an audio over dub in Mandarin.
Why apologise?. People need to learn some patience. There is a capacity to any system. Try again later, stupid spoiled self-entitled people with first world problems. It's a mobile phone, not medicine or your next meal.
Get a grip.
When did we lose the civilised art of waiting our turn?
That reminds me of the old line about how the British would wait in line to watch a sunrise.
Civility is something that has been lost because of the anonymity of the Internet.
I don't think the rating button is useless... it always helps me see what other dumbasses agreed with a stupid post. " src="http://forums-files.appleinsider.com/images/smilies//lol.gif" />
useless if you don't have a thumbs down as it skews the voting.
Why apologise?. People need to learn some patience. There is a capacity to any system. Try again later, stupid spoiled self-entitled people with first world problems. It's a mobile phone, not medicine or your next meal.
Get a grip.
When did we lose the civilised art of waiting our turn?
Your comment reminds me we all need to try and stay grounded from time to time. What a breath of fresh air. Well said.
Apple can't handle a live stream, can't handle large call volumes, but they want to handle billions of credit card transactions.... they better get better IT staff, and quick!
I don't think the retail world has too many "ready set go" moments similar to the volumes seen during an Apple launch. Purchases are steady but not absolutely insane at any one moment in time.
As much as Apple wants to give you the best user experience with their hardware and software, and the best customer experience in their Apple Store and Apple Retail Store, this agony and frustration that still keeps you coming back for more is unabashedly deliberate.
Just like their price points on their products, it's the perfect balance of anger and lust.
It's deliberate, and it's sheer brilliance, it's free publicity, and free marketing.
Actually it is quite easy. The cable companies do it everyday. It is called distributed load balanced delivery. For example, the other night when President Obama made a speech it was broadcast around the world to billions of viewers simultaneously. They have a satellite feed from the White House which is then downloaded to perhaps a few thousand different cable providers who then distribute to their customers.
Apple could have easily used a similar method to deliver their live event using Akamai's worldwide distributed network. The overwhelming load on the server still doesn't explain why people in the US were hearing an audio over dub in Mandarin.
Your comparing Apple's keynote, watched by a LOT of people in real time, to a speech by Obama, that no one cared about except a few hard core political junkies, and all the bad actors out there who wanted to confirm their opinions?
Some of the problem was at least related to the mobile broadcast facility (truck) used to broadcast out of the building based on the screens I was getting when the feed failed on the Apple TV channel that was showing it.
I don't think the retail world has too many "ready set go" moments similar to the volumes seen during an Apple launch. Purchases are steady but not absolutely insane at any one moment in time.
Really????
Christmas is the first that comes to mind. And ready set go? How is the Apple event larger than any retail day? It's not. And if you can't handle an Apple event, you can't handle a normal retail day, let alone a holiday.
I'm sure the App store and the iTunes store have very high volume, so perhaps it is different people running those, but it should' be
Comments
I guess John Gruber should apply for the job as well?
http://daringfireball.net/linked/2014/09/12/iphone-6-preorders
I spent over an hour trying to order from the online Apple Store (4.7-inch, space gray, 128 GB) to no avail. The closest I got was a properly configured phone but a disabled “Add to Cart” button.
Gave up, went to the Verizon website, and successfully ordered there. I think. Verizon’s website is almost spectacularly convoluted and ugly as sin.
You’d think after eight years Apple would be able to deal with this. No surprise demand is high — the iPhones 6 are amazing, and bigger displays have been long-awaited — but the online store crapping itself so utterly is just embarrassing.
I ordered two iphone 6 through AT&T 15 minutes before the release. Technically Sep 11th
No trouble though!!
And no other company on the planet has these kind of preorders.
Millions and millions of orders all coming in at once is just maybe too much to handle.
Nope, don't buy it!!!
Apple lives on 'Just Works' and the 'Best User Experience', so they of any company should be overly prepared to handle 10x the volume just to give the best user experience!
If Apple wanted to give the impression of huge demand, selling out of pre-order stock in x seconds would have been a better headline.
I don't think the rating button is useless... it always helps me see what other dumbasses agreed with a stupid post.
" src="http://forums-files.appleinsider.com/images/smilies//lol.gif" />
There is no precedent for this kind of thing. All they have is past experience. Which if they beef up infrastructure to handle that, and traffic exceeds it, again no precedent.
Its easy to say that they should be able to figure it out and adjust accordingly.... but its easy for us to say that.
Apple can't handle a live stream, can't handle large call volumes, but they want to handle billions of credit card transactions.... they better get better IT staff, and quick!
I challenge any company to host a streamed event that is hit by that many people at once trying to watch it.
Actually it is quite easy. The cable companies do it everyday. It is called distributed load balanced delivery. For example, the other night when President Obama made a speech it was broadcast around the world to billions of viewers simultaneously. They have a satellite feed from the White House which is then downloaded to perhaps a few thousand different cable providers who then distribute to their customers.
Apple could have easily used a similar method to deliver their live event using Akamai's worldwide distributed network. The overwhelming load on the server still doesn't explain why people in the US were hearing an audio over dub in Mandarin.
Why apologise?. People need to learn some patience. There is a capacity to any system. Try again later, stupid spoiled self-entitled people with first world problems. It's a mobile phone, not medicine or your next meal.
Get a grip.
When did we lose the civilised art of waiting our turn?
That reminds me of the old line about how the British would wait in line to watch a sunrise.
Civility is something that has been lost because of the anonymity of the Internet.
IT'S ALL ABOUT ME, DAMMIT!
I don't think the rating button is useless... it always helps me see what other dumbasses agreed with a stupid post.
" src="http://forums-files.appleinsider.com/images/smilies//lol.gif" />
useless if you don't have a thumbs down as it skews the voting.
You're splitting hairs.
I'm interested in what model sells best - I suspect many others are, too.
Your comment reminds me we all need to try and stay grounded from time to time. What a breath of fresh air. Well said.
Apple can't handle a live stream, can't handle large call volumes, but they want to handle billions of credit card transactions.... they better get better IT staff, and quick!
I don't think the retail world has too many "ready set go" moments similar to the volumes seen during an Apple launch. Purchases are steady but not absolutely insane at any one moment in time.
As much as Apple wants to give you the best user experience with their hardware and software, and the best customer experience in their Apple Store and Apple Retail Store, this agony and frustration that still keeps you coming back for more is unabashedly deliberate.
Just like their price points on their products, it's the perfect balance of anger and lust.
It's deliberate, and it's sheer brilliance, it's free publicity, and free marketing.
You're splitting hairs.
I'm interested in what model sells best - I suspect many others are, too.
Splitting hairs?
I want to know by how much or the number is useless. The 6 could sell 50,000 more units than the 6+... when we're talking 30 milllion units each.
It is if you're not expecting it. Either get more bandwidth, streamline the process, or stagger the ability to order by carrier, or region.
Actually it is quite easy. The cable companies do it everyday. It is called distributed load balanced delivery. For example, the other night when President Obama made a speech it was broadcast around the world to billions of viewers simultaneously. They have a satellite feed from the White House which is then downloaded to perhaps a few thousand different cable providers who then distribute to their customers.
Apple could have easily used a similar method to deliver their live event using Akamai's worldwide distributed network. The overwhelming load on the server still doesn't explain why people in the US were hearing an audio over dub in Mandarin.
Your comparing Apple's keynote, watched by a LOT of people in real time, to a speech by Obama, that no one cared about except a few hard core political junkies, and all the bad actors out there who wanted to confirm their opinions?
Some of the problem was at least related to the mobile broadcast facility (truck) used to broadcast out of the building based on the screens I was getting when the feed failed on the Apple TV channel that was showing it.
I don't think the retail world has too many "ready set go" moments similar to the volumes seen during an Apple launch. Purchases are steady but not absolutely insane at any one moment in time.
Really????
Christmas is the first that comes to mind. And ready set go? How is the Apple event larger than any retail day? It's not. And if you can't handle an Apple event, you can't handle a normal retail day, let alone a holiday.
I'm sure the App store and the iTunes store have very high volume, so perhaps it is different people running those, but it should' be
The live stream not after the fact.