“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?
Why would Apple want anything but chaos? Do you realize how much publicity they are receiving for this? You couldn’t ask for anything better. Sorry about your luck if you have a brick today, or you can’t get on Mobile Me or you can’t get the 2.0 software update, but in a couple of days you have the greatest experience on a mobile device possible.
So quit your crying, you should realize that, you are not the sole person who wants this device. Obviously, everyone and their mother wants one. No amount of server farms could help this. Akamai bandwidth isn’t enough, and even if they borrowed all of google’s pipe it wouldn’t matter.
I love how people who don’t know anything about the process complain. How about you ask questions so those in the know can educate you.
It’s like this, If you want all the beer out of the bottle at once you better break the bottle, because only so much can go through the bottles neck at one time.
I fully expected the 2.0 software to not be available for existing devices until at least tomorrow (Saturday), more likely Monday to remove the competition for server time from the 3G purchases.
I am in the UK. iTunes just activated my iPhone 3G
Okay, I will accept Apple getting blamed when you can tell me of any launch of any device when the demand was even half this great and their were no server issues……… Waiting………….. Waiting…..
That’s right, for the second year in a row this is of such scope that Technologists have to create new was of processing this much information at one time.
Apple again asks for an answer when the rest of the world didn’t even know their was a question.
How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?
How many iPhone activations does it take to melt the center of an Xserve?
The world may never know.
this is totally unacceptable. i hope apple gets slammed in the press. they now are coping with the growing pains of being BIG.
glad i did the 2.0 update last night.
And by the way, I upgraded my old iPhone yesterday after finding out about the hidden link. No problems whatsoever. Downloaded some new apps and things worked great.
Then with the roll out the other side of the planet, iTunes broke last night.
Just proves that the smart thing would have been to release 2.0 to the older users earlier. Part of the crash is no doubt due to upgrades of iPhone 2g and iPod Touch.
Not only would an earlier release of 2.0 lightened the burden, but would have also served to build even more hype for the new phones (like land, they ain’t building the old ones anymore).
Apple – 5% market share for life.
I updated my first gen. iPhone mid-morning with no problems. For that I am happy. Those that are having issues have every right to be ticked. But I think the message that the average person will get from this is that the iPhone intro was so successful that it melted down the server. Hopefully it will push stock higher.
@Handsome Smitty
“Apple – 5% market share for life.”
Uh, I think they already have a little more than that on mp3 players. And they seem to be over that on smartphones. And computer marketshare is over 7% and growing.
It is all trending up.
Can’t we blame the INTERNETS itself? Perhaps these massive loads of new iPhone buyers ( nice ) buckled the INTERNETS!
Well I tried.
Apple tried to do too much all at one time and it’s taking it’s toll.
I would have staggered out the releases more and not bunch them all at the same time. I would have done it like this, the iPod touch update on say Monday (7/7), moved on to current iPhones on Tuesday or Wednesday (7/8 or 7/9), rolled the App Store, iTunes and Mobile Me last Friday (7/4). That would have left Today (7/11) for iPhone G3 and all the traffic that it’s going to spike with having a better baseline established from the earlier rolled updates, there would have been time to react, fix or scale the needed resources before a major services FOOBAR happened.
Well, I got mine (after 6 hours in line), and I’m thrilled!
its not Apple or AtnT to blame it us the user i want it and i want it now syndrome, lets look at this is a true way how many kids at christmas open all the presents in one loon n play with one for 10 – 30 seconds and move on to the next most i guess same thing uh uh new iphone must be first to activate or second uh uh it was going to crash u dont need 200 Iq to figure that one am in the uk its 9.30 i have mind since 1.00 ish and just activated it no problem, You could have a system the size of the pentagon war office and if every man and his dog jumps online there she goes be apple M$ dell
its not Apple or AtnT to blame it us the user i want it and i want it now syndrome, lets look at this is a true way how many kids at christmas open all the presents in one loon n play with one for 10 – 30 seconds and move on to the next most i guess same thing uh uh new iphone must be first to activate or second uh uh it was going to crash u dont need 200 Iq to figure that one am in the uk its 9.30 i have mind since 1.00 ish and just activated it no problem, You could have a system the size of the pentagon war office and if every man and his dog jumps online there she goes be apple M$ dell
Hmmmm,
“This is stupid, Apple should have done a much better job. They knew that at least 8 million people had iPhones already and would be looking to upgrade to the 2.0 software ASAP.”
Actually, Apple did not expect all 8 million to try and activate and upload at the same time. LOL Steve thought that at least a few of them would be at Starbucks having a coffee.
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Me, hey, some of us have to work you know.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”grin” style=”border:0;” /> Guess I will try tonite or tomorrow.
And, er yes,…. to all you MS trolls out there that are trying to laugh while pretending to be Mac users………. I guess its easier to sell Vista. After all, you only have to deal with a few sales everyday, not 13,000 per second (the point the UK system crashed). LOL
Have a great weekend.
en
Desire, makes you want what you can’t have.
– Tuxedomoon
It takes time to register your device with the NSA’s computers, people. That way the Bushies can keep looking for OBL. Just like when they make grandma take off her shoes at the Airport.
Don’t you feel safer now?
iPhone 3G good.
AT&T;- no deal.
meanwhile Blackberry servers remain unaffected…
Noodlebrains wrote:
“Uh, I think they already have a little more than that on mp3 players. And they seem to be over that on smartphones. And computer marketshare is over 7% and growing.
It is all trending up.”
UP? Service, quality, availability…all DOWN.
Apple has more than $20 billion in the bank, and refuses to invest in expanding production operations. Jobs is a SNOB and wants to maintain HIS company as a NICHE. I think part of the problems of these poor launches is his way of tamping growth.
It is bad press – not good – that Apple can’t meet demand because this is relative to a QUALITY issue.
Some peg the number available for sale this weekend at 1 million iPhones. Not 8 million. Even with numbers sold 4-6 million prior to the 3G, it’s not 8 million.
Even so, all proof that 2.0 should have been released well ahead of the new iPhone itself.
This is the usual case of JOB’s ass overloading his mouth.
JAYGEE is just an idiot, microsoft sucks, and yes hoe we are all laughing at your stupidity… idiot
Hmmm.
Knowing that about 2 million people are going to be trying to activate their phones in a single day I’m going to waltz into an Apple store and expect MY experience to be entirely flawless.
I’m going to complain if it doesn’t go perfectly because I am a self-centered myopic fool and want things to work to my benefit all the time.
What did YOU learn knowing that about 2 million people were going to be trying to activate their phones in a single day waltzing into an Apple store and expect your experience to be entirely flawless.
You must be the ones who sit for 2 hours in traffic EVERY DAY and complain about it.
Freaking dummies. Who didn’t see this coming?????
I haven’t been able to get on Flickr for hours now. Do you think its servers buckled under millions of new iPhones uploading photos to the site?
John: I still don’t see the issue of Telefonica selling it in only one store on July 11 as something to blame on Apple. I don’t see that they would gain anything by lying. So I went to read Apple’s press release because you said Apple said it would be available at all stores on July 11. Below are excerpts:
“Telefónica and Apple® today announced that they will bring the highly anticipated iPhone™ 3G to Spain on July 11. … iPhone 3G will sell in Telefónica’s top stores and more than 3,500 points of sale in Spain, first in Madrid in its new flagship store on Gran Via Street, opening on July 8.”
The PR says specifically that Telefonica will sell it FIRST in Madrid at the Gran Via Street store. It’s ambiguous as to where else it would be sold on July 11th, altho it is clear that eventually it will be sold at 3500 points of sale.
Did you call Telefonica and they told you it would be available at all stores on July 11th? If not, then I actually don’t see where they lied and especially where Apple lied. Yes, they were clumsy in wording, but I don’t see any lie.
MacInfo has it right and I was going to write same thing until I saw his/her post. Apple has an adequate infrastructure built for normal and probably heavy usage, but it makes no sense to expect them to have built a network to handle this one or two day explosion in traffic. It will all sort out in probably less than a day. Traffic will NEVER be as high as it is today… until the next release.