Apple iPhone 5 available for pre-order, some buyers experience issues

Posted:
in General Discussion edited October 2019
When Apple, Verizon, AT&T and Sprint opened up pre-orders for the iPhone 5 at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, a number of buyers reported issues in completing their transactions while others got through the process quickly and smoothly.

Announced two days ago at a special event in San Francsico, the iPhone 5 boasts a redesigned chassis, larger 4-inch screen and a number of performance and aesthetic enhancements.

iPhone 5


While many customers were led through a quick and easy ordering process, some saw delays and error messages as an expectedly high amount of traffic took its toll on the iPhone 5 pre-order system. As of this writing, Apple's own online store was experiencing sporadic issues, and was taken down temporarily shortly after opening its virtual doors at the assigned 12:01 a.m. start time.

A number of reports from AppleInsider readers noted that, while the online Apple Store was down for those using web browsers, the dedicated iOS app was still processing purchases. As seen in the screenshot below, it appears that Apple was prepared to handle the onslaught of early adopters and instituted a system which reserves an iPhone 5 in case a wireless carrier's servers are unreachable.

iPhone 5 Pre-order


Those looking to buy the AT&T version of the iPhone 5 met the most trouble when pre-ordering, with the carrier's site exhibiting slowdowns that in turn affected Apple's own system.

When ordering through Apple, customers having trouble had their chosen model put on reserve and were sent a confirmation email outlining the appropriate steps needed to complete the transaction.

From Apple's email to customers:
Why am I unable to complete my order right now?
We are currently unable to reach your carriers systems to process the information that you have provided. We will hold on to the information you have entered and use it to confirm phone pricing and eligibility for your account.
Confirmation email


Following the email's link brings buyers to Apple's dedicated webpage for iPhone orders, which states that a second email will be sent when the carrier's systems can be reached. From there, customers have 24 hours to return to the Apple Online store to complete the transaction before the order is canceled.

Order Completion


As for the other major U.S. carriers, Verizon's website was reportedly the easiest to deal with, as buyers reported little to no problems using the company's online store. Sprint, however, saw major slowdowns during the first hour of availability, with some orders ending up in error messages, though the operator's site is now stable.

Unfortunately for those who had issues placing their order, the final ship time appears to depend on the most current shipping estimates at the time of the transaction's completion, contrary to the confirmation email's language. The Apple Store is now quoting shipment times of two weeks. In comparison, last year's iPhone 4S launch took 24 hours to see shipping times pushed back to two weeks.
«134

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 72


    Anyone one else having their iPad/iphone allowed to access the apple store but not their computer?

  • Reply 2 of 72
    Ordered... worked like a charm... thanks AT
  • Reply 3 of 72
    apple site is still not up
  • Reply 4 of 72
    First!!! (to preorder) ;)
  • Reply 5 of 72
    taddtadd Posts: 136member
    I still get a store down notice on Apple at 3:30 EST. I put in my order on Verizon's site at 3:27
  • Reply 6 of 72


    I'm still getting this:   o

  • Reply 7 of 72
    rob53rob53 Posts: 3,241member
    Got through and both I and my daughter ordered our new iPhone 5's. The store didn't come up until around 12:20 Pacific time and I got on first. My daughter wasn't able to get through using her Mac but was able to use the Apple Store app on her current iPhone and bought that way. The extra Lightning cable isn't scheduled to ship for 2-3 weeks.
  • Reply 8 of 72
    duoduo Posts: 26member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Seankill View Post


    Anyone one else having their iPad/iphone allowed to access the apple store but not their computer?



     


    I've been refreshing for the past 27 minutes till I read your post and am now in the process of pre-ordering from my iPad!


     


    Edit:


     


    And I just got the email confirmation! Also, I wonder when Apple will start selling unlocked phones. Last year I heard that Apple Store employees were unlocking GSM iPhones that were sold to people who didn't qualify for early upgrade pricing since they were paying full price anyway. Wonder if it'll happen again this year. 

  • Reply 9 of 72
    Apple site down on both computer and iPad, and ATT site unavailable here in NYC.
  • Reply 10 of 72

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Duo View Post


     


    I've been refreshing for the past 27 minutes till I read your post and am now in the process of pre-ordering from my iPad!



    You are welcome lol


     


    Is there anyway to have your preorder shipped to another address, other than the address connected with your billing?

  • Reply 11 of 72
    got mine through the ios app... att store wasnt working and bam done in less than 15 mins
  • Reply 12 of 72
    Just ordered my 64GB! Thanks Apple...you guys must be better prepared to handle the trafffic this time:-)
  • Reply 13 of 72
    Ios app worked for me got it in under 15 mins att is so slow an didn't get past the first page
  • Reply 14 of 72
    Took about 20 minutes, but my order is in!
  • Reply 15 of 72
    I am getting an error saying that I am using an incorrect AT
  • Reply 16 of 72


    ATT site sucked. Got through with Apple - yay!

  • Reply 17 of 72
    AT
  • Reply 18 of 72

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Seankill View Post


    Anyone one else having their iPad/iphone allowed to access the apple store but not their computer?



    Yes, me. Ordering took a couple of minutes on the iPad.

  • Reply 19 of 72
    I am getting an error saying that I am using an incorrect ATT passcode no matter where I try to order. I am unable to retrieve a passcode either. I know I am entering it correctly through.
  • Reply 20 of 72


    Wierd!!  Worked with Safari  But not Explorer(Still States Down)

Sign In or Register to comment.