Sarcasm aside, that is kind of true for me. Yesterday, during all of the pre-order hubbub, I put my 3GS into a box and sent it off to a company that buys used electronics. It is a popular site that Leo Laporte' recommends on his shows. Therefore, I had a bit more of a vested interest in the pre-order process, as I really do not have a phone until the new one arrives. In the interim, I am using my iPad 3G with Line2 as my backup. With my number ported, people can still call and leave a message, and I can call out when I need to.
Oh, yes. It's obviously Apple's fault that you chose to sell your phone before getting a new one.
placed my order in person at an ATT store [via handwritten / carbon copies] at 10 am EST yesterday.
got email confirmation last night at 2am EST, with the "may receive devices between 6/25 and 6/28" comment.
a little perspective people:
i am PERFECTLY FINE with having to wait a few more days. my 3GS still works fine. If you absolutely MUST have an iPhone4 on June 24th, you need to reevaluate more than just your choice of phone carrier.
if you honestly think that VZW, Sprint or anyone else would be able to handle millions of new phone orders in the span of a few hours, you're sorely mistaken. i'm very happy that ATT had a backup plan [handwritten orders and carbon imprints of credit cards].
if you want someone to bitch at, BP is spilling 2.5 MILLION GALLONS of oil into the gulf every day. that's a little more important than the possibility of getting your new phone 3 days later than you thought.
This is like driving to the Indy 500. Yeah, traffic congestion is going to be awful and parking is a bitch. Does that mean that they should build a 24 lane superhighway and hundreds of acres of paved parking, all for a once a year* event? Hardly.
Similarly Apple, AT&T and other sales outlets aren't going to add millions of dollars of redundant system capacity to deal with very occasional demand peaks like this. Furthermore there can't even be one person in a thousand of us that has to have a new iPhone on the initial delivery day.
Ordering problems hardly rise to the level of more than a minor annoyance, much less a "fiasco."
That said...I got mine ordered at a local AT&T store and was out of there before 10:30 am.
*OK, twice if you count the Brickyard 400.
+1. Given the massive demand pretty much anything would fall over unless maybe something backed by both Google and Amazon's cloud services. Given the security breaches at AT&T already, pushing their customer data into the cloud is probably a hugely bad idea.
As far as supply outstripping demand the channel can handle only so many phones. If Apple set up for a 2-3M launch based on the 3gs and sold out then they did the best could
This is like driving to the Indy 500. Yeah, traffic congestion is going to be awful and parking is a bitch. Does that mean that they should build a 24 lane superhighway and hundreds of acres of paved parking, all for a once a year* event? Hardly.
Similarly Apple, AT&T and other sales outlets aren't going to add millions of dollars of redundant system capacity to deal with very occasional demand peaks like this. Furthermore there can't even be one person in a thousand of us that has to have a new iPhone on the initial delivery day.
Ordering problems hardly rise to the level of more than a minor annoyance, much less a "fiasco."
That said...I got mine ordered at a local AT&T store and was out of there before 10:30 am.
Thank you, I was about to say almost the same thing, but with a different analogy. I'd compare it to Wal-Mart on the morning after Thanksgiving. Don't go there unless you want to wait in line for the privilege of being among the first in the door, and if you do go, don't gripe about how early you had to get up, how crowded it is, or how Wal-Mart could manage the crowds better if they really wanted to. Funny how people go to places they know will be madhouses of humanity and then complain about the crowds, oblivious to the fact that they are just one of the throng who just had to be there.
Sarcasm aside, that is kind of true for me. Yesterday, during all of the pre-order hubbub, I put my 3GS into a box and sent it off to a company that buys used electronics. It is a popular site that Leo Laporte' recommends on his shows. Therefore, I had a bit more of a vested interest in the pre-order process, as I really do not have a phone until the new one arrives. In the interim, I am using my iPad 3G with Line2 as my backup. With my number ported, people can still call and leave a message, and I can call out when I need to.
What site is that? Would they offer more than a private sale on either eBay or Craig's List?
Just curious as I now have a white 16GB 3GS that I won't need after launch day! :-)
When attempting to pre-order for a July 2 shipping date, I get the following message (changed from HTML to text while pasting). Please note that I already have both an Apple and an AT&T Wireless Account:
Make a reservation.
We were unable to complete set up online.
To finish creating your account, you?ll need to visit an Apple Retail Store where we can help you in person.
Apple Retail Store
Currently, there are no reservations available. But you can still pick up an iPhone on a first-come, first-served basis at your favorite Apple Retail Store starting at 7 a.m. on June 24. And since you?ve already set up your account online, you?ll save time when you stop by the store.
While I wasn't able to pre-order yesterday, I was able to supposedly reserve a phone for pick-up on the 24th at the local Apple store. The Apple website could never seemingly connect with the AT&T upgrade eligibility website, it did allow me to pre-reserve for the June 24th in-store pickup. I never received an email confirmation, and Apple's phones are so tied up that I can't get through to confirm, so do I really have a phone reserved for me on the 24th or not? I've been an Apple customer for years, but this experience yesterday has really soured me on the company.
Just speaking from my experience... I got mine through first thing on the 15th at 5AM MST. Mine reservation was an upgrade to my existing iPhone 3GS. So as part of the process they did have to contact AT&T to make sure I was eligible for the upgrade. It all took 3 minutes from start to finish.....then I got the confirmation email in about another 3 minutes. I think I was very fortunate to start the process early when I got up to go to work!
I'm a bit curious about your 3GS upgrade. I bought my 3GS on launch day last year after reserving it in advance. When I checked my upgrade eligibility a week or so ago it indicated that I'm not eligible until February 2011. I'm curious if you are actually getting the full discount or are you paying some extra to get the iPhone 4 early? Regardless, for me I'll just plan on waiting until next year for the iPhone 5 when I know that I'll absolutely be eligible on launch day.
The iPhone 4 looks cool for sure, but I am taking a temporary wait and see. I have a 3G iPhone on an unlimited data plan. I pre-ordered and received a wifi only iPad on launch day. It is a cool device and I really like it, but has nothing to do with AT&T. Fairly, I have not personally had a problem with AT&T.
Yet.
I am just not a big phone user. Not enough to justify the iPhone 4 yet. At some point the price will drop, and I'll be able to justify the upgrade. An who knows - maybe by that time I'll have a tethering to iPad option, or even another carrier willing to cut me a great deal. Even though I haven't had any AT&T problems, I admit the bad buzz reported from others really is a negative for me - another reason to simply wait.
And hey, here's something for the discussion grist mill. At what point does AAPL think about having their own wireless network? Really - with $60B in the bank, maybe they can buy someone, and shape it to their vision of the Future? Smithers, release the hounds.
Apple's statement claimed 600,000 preorders yesterday which is of course awesome and has the stock up $5 today.
However....... why is the pick up date already being pushed out a week? Apple is selling almost ten million iPhones a quarter and they've had some time to build up stock in this instance. Shouldn't they have more on hand to start?
I'm a bit curious about your 3GS upgrade. I bought my 3GS on launch day last year after reserving it in advance. When I checked my upgrade eligibility a week or so ago it indicated that I'm not eligible until February 2011. I'm curious if you are actually getting the full discount or are you paying some extra to get the iPhone 4 early? Regardless, for me I'll just plan on waiting until next year for the iPhone 5 when I know that I'll absolutely be eligible on launch day.
I did get my 3GS on launch day last year.... this is what my AT&T account upgrade page says:
"Your Current Phones on FamilyTalk Plans
\t
JAMES XXXXXXXXX, 480-XXX-XXXX
As a valued AT&T customer, this line qualifies for discounted equipment pricing when you sign a new 2-year commitment.\t
Select
iPhone Upgrade
As a valued AT&T customer, we can offer you a discounted iPhone upgrade with a new 2-year commitment and an $18 upgrade fee. "
I am just not a big phone user. Not enough to justify the iPhone 4 yet. At some point the price will drop, and I'll be able to justify the upgrade. An who knows - maybe by that time I'll have a tethering to iPad option, or even another carrier willing to cut me a great deal. Even though I haven't had any AT&T problems, I admit the bad buzz reported from others really is a negative for me - another reason to simply wait.
And hey, here's something for the discussion grist mill. At what point does AAPL think about having their own wireless network? Really - with $60B in the bank, maybe they can buy someone, and shape it to their vision of the Future? Smithers, release the hounds.
If recent history is any guide, the price on the iPhone 4 will drop when the iPhone 5 arrives, but not before. So, another year.
Apple has about $45b in cash and short term securities on hand at present. Spending any part of this on setting up their own wireless network may sound appealing on the surface, but consider -- what experience does Apple have with building and operating cellular networks? I don't see them doing it for that reason alone. For another, even buying an existing provider would put them in direct competition with the other providers, which would quickly mean they could only sell iPhones for Apple's network.
right right, i meant why hassle to preorder it today when i can just preorder it tomorrow and get it all the same
But a week later, apparently.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NeilM
Get some perspective people.
This is like driving to the Indy 500. Yeah, traffic congestion is going to be awful and parking is a bitch. Does that mean that they should build a 24 lane superhighway and hundreds of acres of paved parking, all for a once a year* event? Hardly.
Similarly Apple, AT&T and other sales outlets aren't going to add millions of dollars of redundant system capacity to deal with very occasional demand peaks like this. Furthermore there can't even be one person in a thousand of us that has to have a new iPhone on the initial delivery day.
Ordering problems hardly rise to the level of more than a minor annoyance, much less a "fiasco."
That said...I got mine ordered at a local AT&T store and was out of there before 10:30 am.
I understand that there are services that provide extra server capacity inexpensively, as it is needed, when it's no longer needed then those servers are reallocated to other customers.
They offer me $226 for mine in perfect condition with the original bits that came with it. I could have easily got that from ebay, but with a lot more hassle, plus paying a bit to PayPal. If you have sold on ebay, you know the drill. Gazelle sent me a pre-paid shipping box. It was completely hassle free.
I just checked the site, and the offer for the same item is now $188. As you can imagine, the longer you wait, the less value your phone has. I got mine in while my 3GS had a greater value than the phone I will be replacing it with. Good luck.
This is absolutely an intolerable situation! What does Apple expect us to do after the 24th if we can't get an iPhone4 on the very first day? Our current phones are no longer going to work and we won't be able to communicate with anyone. Don't they understand that?
What? They are going to work? Really? Umm. Maybe I don't actually need to get a new phone on the very first day of release.
I congratulate Apple on what appears to be another amazing success (in spite of the problems.) I really didn't think that this update was gong to be perceived as a big deal by most people.
I would like a new iPhone, but I'm perfectly content to wait until all of the insanity dies down and I can walk into an Apple store without lines and chaos and pick up a new phone. That's how I got my last one. I really don't think my life is going to be over if I really wanted a white iPhone and had to wait a few weeks.
We've become terribly impatient and in need of instant gratification. Perhaps the same needs that are making us fat are making us go crazy when we can't have our new toy when we want it. ("But Mommy, I want that NOW!!!!") I would suspect that many psychologists would clearly see this as a disorder.
Many will see this as an Apple failure to produce enough phones, but you don't manufacture for the peak, you manufacture for the long run. If people complain enough, in the future, Apple will simply defer the release date until they build up more inventory.
And if someone logs onto AT&T's site and sees my name instead of theirs? Order me one in black and switch me over to the slightly cheaper data plan. Thank you.
That's a great post ... my sentiments exactly! It makes me wonder what these people, who are going nuts over having to wait a few days, were like as children waiting for Christmas. "Mommy, why isn't today Christmas ... I want it to be today ... waaaaaa! ...... It must have been a living hell for their parents.
Comments
One would think they'd have their ducks in a row by now. But noooooooooo... Nothing but poorly aligned ducks!
LOL,
That totally mad me laugh out loud! :-P
Anyway, does anyone know if I can buy the iPhone at full price and have no AT&T service when I leave the store?
Thanks,
Gabe
Sarcasm aside, that is kind of true for me. Yesterday, during all of the pre-order hubbub, I put my 3GS into a box and sent it off to a company that buys used electronics. It is a popular site that Leo Laporte' recommends on his shows. Therefore, I had a bit more of a vested interest in the pre-order process, as I really do not have a phone until the new one arrives. In the interim, I am using my iPad 3G with Line2 as my backup. With my number ported, people can still call and leave a message, and I can call out when I need to.
Oh, yes. It's obviously Apple's fault that you chose to sell your phone before getting a new one.
got email confirmation last night at 2am EST, with the "may receive devices between 6/25 and 6/28" comment.
a little perspective people:
i am PERFECTLY FINE with having to wait a few more days. my 3GS still works fine. If you absolutely MUST have an iPhone4 on June 24th, you need to reevaluate more than just your choice of phone carrier.
if you honestly think that VZW, Sprint or anyone else would be able to handle millions of new phone orders in the span of a few hours, you're sorely mistaken. i'm very happy that ATT had a backup plan [handwritten orders and carbon imprints of credit cards].
if you want someone to bitch at, BP is spilling 2.5 MILLION GALLONS of oil into the gulf every day. that's a little more important than the possibility of getting your new phone 3 days later than you thought.
Get some perspective people.
This is like driving to the Indy 500. Yeah, traffic congestion is going to be awful and parking is a bitch. Does that mean that they should build a 24 lane superhighway and hundreds of acres of paved parking, all for a once a year* event? Hardly.
Similarly Apple, AT&T and other sales outlets aren't going to add millions of dollars of redundant system capacity to deal with very occasional demand peaks like this. Furthermore there can't even be one person in a thousand of us that has to have a new iPhone on the initial delivery day.
Ordering problems hardly rise to the level of more than a minor annoyance, much less a "fiasco."
That said...I got mine ordered at a local AT&T store and was out of there before 10:30 am.
*OK, twice if you count the Brickyard 400.
+1. Given the massive demand pretty much anything would fall over unless maybe something backed by both Google and Amazon's cloud services. Given the security breaches at AT&T already, pushing their customer data into the cloud is probably a hugely bad idea.
As far as supply outstripping demand the channel can handle only so many phones. If Apple set up for a 2-3M launch based on the 3gs and sold out then they did the best could
Get some perspective people.
This is like driving to the Indy 500. Yeah, traffic congestion is going to be awful and parking is a bitch. Does that mean that they should build a 24 lane superhighway and hundreds of acres of paved parking, all for a once a year* event? Hardly.
Similarly Apple, AT&T and other sales outlets aren't going to add millions of dollars of redundant system capacity to deal with very occasional demand peaks like this. Furthermore there can't even be one person in a thousand of us that has to have a new iPhone on the initial delivery day.
Ordering problems hardly rise to the level of more than a minor annoyance, much less a "fiasco."
That said...I got mine ordered at a local AT&T store and was out of there before 10:30 am.
Thank you, I was about to say almost the same thing, but with a different analogy. I'd compare it to Wal-Mart on the morning after Thanksgiving. Don't go there unless you want to wait in line for the privilege of being among the first in the door, and if you do go, don't gripe about how early you had to get up, how crowded it is, or how Wal-Mart could manage the crowds better if they really wanted to. Funny how people go to places they know will be madhouses of humanity and then complain about the crowds, oblivious to the fact that they are just one of the throng who just had to be there.
Sarcasm aside, that is kind of true for me. Yesterday, during all of the pre-order hubbub, I put my 3GS into a box and sent it off to a company that buys used electronics. It is a popular site that Leo Laporte' recommends on his shows. Therefore, I had a bit more of a vested interest in the pre-order process, as I really do not have a phone until the new one arrives. In the interim, I am using my iPad 3G with Line2 as my backup. With my number ported, people can still call and leave a message, and I can call out when I need to.
What site is that? Would they offer more than a private sale on either eBay or Craig's List?
Just curious as I now have a white 16GB 3GS that I won't need after launch day! :-)
Make a reservation.
We were unable to complete set up online.
To finish creating your account, you?ll need to visit an Apple Retail Store where we can help you in person.
Apple Retail Store
Currently, there are no reservations available. But you can still pick up an iPhone on a first-come, first-served basis at your favorite Apple Retail Store starting at 7 a.m. on June 24. And since you?ve already set up your account online, you?ll save time when you stop by the store.
Find an Apple Store:
Zip code
Complete store list
Just speaking from my experience... I got mine through first thing on the 15th at 5AM MST. Mine reservation was an upgrade to my existing iPhone 3GS. So as part of the process they did have to contact AT&T to make sure I was eligible for the upgrade. It all took 3 minutes from start to finish.....then I got the confirmation email in about another 3 minutes. I think I was very fortunate to start the process early when I got up to go to work!
I'm a bit curious about your 3GS upgrade. I bought my 3GS on launch day last year after reserving it in advance. When I checked my upgrade eligibility a week or so ago it indicated that I'm not eligible until February 2011. I'm curious if you are actually getting the full discount or are you paying some extra to get the iPhone 4 early? Regardless, for me I'll just plan on waiting until next year for the iPhone 5 when I know that I'll absolutely be eligible on launch day.
Yet.
I am just not a big phone user. Not enough to justify the iPhone 4 yet. At some point the price will drop, and I'll be able to justify the upgrade. An who knows - maybe by that time I'll have a tethering to iPad option, or even another carrier willing to cut me a great deal. Even though I haven't had any AT&T problems, I admit the bad buzz reported from others really is a negative for me - another reason to simply wait.
And hey, here's something for the discussion grist mill. At what point does AAPL think about having their own wireless network? Really - with $60B in the bank, maybe they can buy someone, and shape it to their vision of the Future? Smithers, release the hounds.
However....... why is the pick up date already being pushed out a week? Apple is selling almost ten million iPhones a quarter and they've had some time to build up stock in this instance. Shouldn't they have more on hand to start?
I'm a bit curious about your 3GS upgrade. I bought my 3GS on launch day last year after reserving it in advance. When I checked my upgrade eligibility a week or so ago it indicated that I'm not eligible until February 2011. I'm curious if you are actually getting the full discount or are you paying some extra to get the iPhone 4 early? Regardless, for me I'll just plan on waiting until next year for the iPhone 5 when I know that I'll absolutely be eligible on launch day.
I did get my 3GS on launch day last year.... this is what my AT&T account upgrade page says:
"Your Current Phones on FamilyTalk Plans
\t
JAMES XXXXXXXXX, 480-XXX-XXXX
As a valued AT&T customer, this line qualifies for discounted equipment pricing when you sign a new 2-year commitment.\t
Select
iPhone Upgrade
As a valued AT&T customer, we can offer you a discounted iPhone upgrade with a new 2-year commitment and an $18 upgrade fee. "
I am just not a big phone user. Not enough to justify the iPhone 4 yet. At some point the price will drop, and I'll be able to justify the upgrade. An who knows - maybe by that time I'll have a tethering to iPad option, or even another carrier willing to cut me a great deal. Even though I haven't had any AT&T problems, I admit the bad buzz reported from others really is a negative for me - another reason to simply wait.
And hey, here's something for the discussion grist mill. At what point does AAPL think about having their own wireless network? Really - with $60B in the bank, maybe they can buy someone, and shape it to their vision of the Future? Smithers, release the hounds.
If recent history is any guide, the price on the iPhone 4 will drop when the iPhone 5 arrives, but not before. So, another year.
Apple has about $45b in cash and short term securities on hand at present. Spending any part of this on setting up their own wireless network may sound appealing on the surface, but consider -- what experience does Apple have with building and operating cellular networks? I don't see them doing it for that reason alone. For another, even buying an existing provider would put them in direct competition with the other providers, which would quickly mean they could only sell iPhones for Apple's network.
right right, i meant why hassle to preorder it today when i can just preorder it tomorrow and get it all the same
But a week later, apparently.
Get some perspective people.
This is like driving to the Indy 500. Yeah, traffic congestion is going to be awful and parking is a bitch. Does that mean that they should build a 24 lane superhighway and hundreds of acres of paved parking, all for a once a year* event? Hardly.
Similarly Apple, AT&T and other sales outlets aren't going to add millions of dollars of redundant system capacity to deal with very occasional demand peaks like this. Furthermore there can't even be one person in a thousand of us that has to have a new iPhone on the initial delivery day.
Ordering problems hardly rise to the level of more than a minor annoyance, much less a "fiasco."
That said...I got mine ordered at a local AT&T store and was out of there before 10:30 am.
I understand that there are services that provide extra server capacity inexpensively, as it is needed, when it's no longer needed then those servers are reallocated to other customers.
What site is that? Would they offer more than a private sale on either eBay or Craig's List?
Just curious as I now have a white 16GB 3GS that I won't need after launch day! :-)
I didn't mention it as I do not want to be labeled a spammer, but I guess it is no secret if you listen to Leo's shows.
http://www.gazelle.com/
They offer me $226 for mine in perfect condition with the original bits that came with it. I could have easily got that from ebay, but with a lot more hassle, plus paying a bit to PayPal. If you have sold on ebay, you know the drill. Gazelle sent me a pre-paid shipping box. It was completely hassle free.
I just checked the site, and the offer for the same item is now $188. As you can imagine, the longer you wait, the less value your phone has. I got mine in while my 3GS had a greater value than the phone I will be replacing it with. Good luck.
I am still unable to order today June 16. What gives?
It's not just the iPhone. I'm trying to upgrade a different line and you can't upgrade ANY phone online at AT&T.
While I understand the fact that you can't build a network to handle peak orders, this is ridiculous.
This is absolutely an intolerable situation! What does Apple expect us to do after the 24th if we can't get an iPhone4 on the very first day? Our current phones are no longer going to work and we won't be able to communicate with anyone. Don't they understand that?
What? They are going to work? Really? Umm. Maybe I don't actually need to get a new phone on the very first day of release.
I congratulate Apple on what appears to be another amazing success (in spite of the problems.) I really didn't think that this update was gong to be perceived as a big deal by most people.
I would like a new iPhone, but I'm perfectly content to wait until all of the insanity dies down and I can walk into an Apple store without lines and chaos and pick up a new phone. That's how I got my last one. I really don't think my life is going to be over if I really wanted a white iPhone and had to wait a few weeks.
We've become terribly impatient and in need of instant gratification. Perhaps the same needs that are making us fat are making us go crazy when we can't have our new toy when we want it. ("But Mommy, I want that NOW!!!!") I would suspect that many psychologists would clearly see this as a disorder.
Many will see this as an Apple failure to produce enough phones, but you don't manufacture for the peak, you manufacture for the long run. If people complain enough, in the future, Apple will simply defer the release date until they build up more inventory.
And if someone logs onto AT&T's site and sees my name instead of theirs? Order me one in black and switch me over to the slightly cheaper data plan. Thank you.
That's a great post ... my sentiments exactly! It makes me wonder what these people, who are going nuts over having to wait a few days, were like as children waiting for Christmas. "Mommy, why isn't today Christmas ... I want it to be today ... waaaaaa! ...... It must have been a living hell for their parents.