“Many eager U.S. buyers of Apple Inc’s new iPhone left stores on Friday frustrated because their new gadgets did not work due to problems activating service,” Reuters reports.
“A spokesman for AT&T Inc, the sole U.S. carrier for the iPhone, blamed problems synchronizing the phone with Apple’s iTunes online music and software store. Apple representatives had no immediate comment,” Reuters reports.
Reuters reports, “AT&T spokesman Michael Coe said Apple was working to resolve the problem but declined to give a timeframe. ‘That’s a good question for Apple,’ Coe said.”
“Earlier in the day, many customers had left New York stores pleased that it had taken only 15 minutes to activate their new iPhones, which combines a music and video player, cellphone and Web browser,” Reuters reports. “But by mid-afternoon, many were annoyed.”
Full article here.
Because by mid-afternoon in New York, the west coast had come online and bogged down the servers, that’s why. We understand the frustration; after all, ’twas us who first screamed “iBrick!” last year over activation delays. One year wiser, we advise, “patience, padawans.” In fact, we just registered an iPhone 3G via iTunes within the last 5 minutes — from our office, not in-store, like the good old days! Now, the fact that the same thing happened last year, well, naturally, that might lead some to ask, what, if anything, did Apple learn from that fiasco?
@ Hubertus
You are so right. There needs to be an explanation as to why other services do not work, not just iPhone activation. Just because people complain about the problems does mean they are whiners. You need to get what you pay for, plain and simple.
And everyone (including myself) thought AT & T would be the bottleneck.
What did Apple expect, with all those nifty Apps; plus so many free ones. No wonder iTunes is melting down.
@MTNmnn
I agree, Apple REALLY Dropped the Ball today… there’s no reason they couldn’t gave make the upgrades for iPhone 1.0 & MobileMe available 2 days ago. Its pretty ridiculous for them to put their new and old customers through this hassle just to create hype for the company. Chaos is what they wanted, and chaos is what they are getting. Even inovative companies F**K UP sometimes.
The title should say “NEVER-BEFORE UNHEARD-OF DEMAND FOR THE IPHONE V2
CAUSES DOWNLOAD SERVERS TO TEMPORARILY BOG DOWN”
“what, if anything, did Apple learn from that fiasco?”
Last time, the problem was with AT&T;
It’s funny MDN has an LG DARE ad on the right side of this page.
DUH!!
Apple intentionally caused this “problem” to get free publicity.
The problem with using this tatic over and over is people get turned off to Apple eventually.
You can only fool some of the people some of the time.
Zune Tang, this is your moment…where are you??? Don’t blow your chance to have a problem with Apple that is not a myth or misconception…c’mon Zune!
Been trying all morning to activate my existing iPhone with the new software. Took until 3:30 before I could connect, but then it was pretty fast.
I am patient, so this is no big deal, but it really shows the world-wide interest in the new products.
Will the media see Worldwide DEMAND as the problem…not an inkling of a chance!
ONce again, Apple proves why their market share is a puddle of piss to MS’s lake of poo – they can’t handle mass production of any product; never have, never twill, it seems.
Sell outs only punish loyal users, and the innocent converts, jacking up prices and pushing away the curious willing to give a try.
Apple’s pattern of slow upgrades (minimal improvements in tech while prices stay stable, instead of lowering [iPod a rare exception] prices as with most technologies) reveals why they jerk around loyal users and their own company with a continued failure to expand.
Yes, the best often costs more. But the less of a product around, the higher the price. Apple knows this and instead of being prepared – as anyone else would be with their repeated failures to produce adequate quantities, actually LEARNING from mistakes – they continue this policy.
Why, because Steve Jobs is a SNOB. Arrogant, schizophrenic SNOB.
And there’s nothing more I like to see and hear then all you rich darlings whining. Being rich don’t make you less stupid.
I think one thing Apple should learn from this is that its customers don’t wait a minute to update and upgrade, so Apple had better be ready for the stampede the minute they open the corral gates!
john: since iPhones are not being sold by Apple in Spain, how can that be an Apple frack-up? Isn’t the idea of selling it in only one store come from Telefonica?
blue Dream please don’t wake up the trolls; they’re snoozing and oblivious the the clacking hooves of the billy goats passing on the bridge above them. Next thing ya know, that camelmilk fart freak will turn up again.
If you get this upset over a phone, imagine a real crisis.
Smile, breathe, and go slowly.
Of course, I was pissed until mine started working again. LOL.
Apple will ultimately be held responsible for the technical failure, as well they should be. However, I have to wonder how the in-store activation became Apple’s responsibility. Apple manufactures the hardware. Apple is *not* a TelComm company.
Last years’ initial release was a beautiful thing: walk in, pay, walk out. Go home, connect to iTunes. Activate. Now, *that* is in true Apple style.
This debacle speaks of corporate strong-arming
Worked for me. 11:40 am PST finished about 20-25 min’s later. No unplugging, just hit install and left while it did it’s thing.
If I watched it, I would have been tempted to “monkey” with it when it looked like it wasn’t doing anything.
Another 20 min’s for USB 2 to restore my data.
Monkey Ball is cool, I’ll do the useful stuff later.
Mark: Apple said it would be available on the 11th, so did Telefonica. They even list it as avaiable at 2.500 stores around the country – none of which have any. So the BOTH lied.
If they had just been honest and said it is going to be a gradual rollout and will take months to reach everyone I would not be so pissed off. But they cant help themselves. They have to hype everything beyond reason.
For consumers this has been a bad customer experience, for me being a enterprise admin it just validates what I have said from day 1 .. drop Itunes as part of the Iphone activation. They only want that so it’s tied to the cash cow e.g. every other ipod.
In 8 years of supporting mobile devices I have never seen such a major screw up rolling out a product and lack of proper planning for demand. I agree too much at once, OS 2.0 update, 3G model, App store and MobileMe.
If Apple wants to see how it’s done stay tuned for the Blackberry Bold release, there might not be crazy lines but users will walk out with a functioning device that they can use right away.
Itunes is Apple’s NOC and when it’s flaking out/down it basically kills their entire ecosystem.
Ouch. It really DID feel like “Outlook for the rest of us.” for a while there….
Worth the wait, I might add.
And one more thing:
I’ve been using Apple products since ’88. But the last year and a half of declining service value and slow upgrades, I find myself wondering why.
Add that to Apple’s continued snootiness and manipulation of its products to create hype at the expense of actual users…
Sigh….
^ regarding MobileMe.
My USB 2.0 PCI card (for my old G4) came in today — just in time too! Upgrading and re-syncing should be much quicker now.
It would make no difference whether iTunes was part of the equation or not, and while Apple probably did learn something last year, it doesn’t make sense to overbuild for just “one” day and then tear it all down. It will get better and then every overly impatient 3g or 2.0 user will get their iPhone and software…
What some of you don’t get is that this is a LOT OF FREE PUBLICITY for Apple..
All those who want to piss on Apple write it up – and it only serves to UNDERLINE how incredibly popular the iPhone is – and that it is SELLING BEYOND THE WILDEST ESTIMATES….
LOL
Rejoice, friends…..
Life is GREAT…=*^)
CR