“On Tuesday, the first day Apple and AT&T started taking such orders, shoppers said they were met with error messages on the company Web sites,” AP reports. “Lines formed in stores as clerks tried to get orders through the computer systems.”
Full article here.
Alexei Oreskovic and Sinead Carew report for Reuters, “Customers attempting to reserve the next iPhone were thwarted by error messages on the websites of Apple Inc. and AT&T Inc. on Tuesday, the first day of pre-orders for the phone.”
“AT&T, the iPhone’s exclusive operator, declined to comment, and Apple did not immediately respond to a questions about the technical problems that provoked complaints by customers in several cities across the United States, including Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York,” Oreskovic and Carew report.
“Customers lined up outside some stores to ask AT&T employees to manually process their orders,” Oreskovic and Carew report. “One attempt by a Reuters reporter to pre-order the phone on both Apple and AT&T’s websites generated error messages. The following came from AT&T’s website. ‘There was a problem with your request,’ it read. ‘We’re sorry, but we are experiencing a system error that prevents us from completing your request.'”
Full article here.
Jennifer Valentine-Devries and Paul Glader report for The Wall Street Journal, “Many customers were unable to preorder the new iPhone 4 via AT&T Inc. or Apple Inc.’s websites Tuesday, a development that marred the first day people could sign up to buy the new phone.”
“An AT&T sales representative at a Manhattan store said the preorder system for the iPhone 4 has been down for much of the day. While the system has worked on occasion, it has largely been out, she said,” Valentine-Devries and Paul Glader report. “The sales clerk said she has been taking the credit card information of customers looking to preorder and planned to enter then into the system when it comes back up. She said similar issues were seen last year when the iPhone 3GS was made available for preorder.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Incompetency on parade. Again.
As much as it’s fun to kick ATT, we should probably all remember that no one else wanted the iPhone sight unseen. Apple repaid ATT’s trust with exclusivity.
ATT is only as good as the cell towers the have around your hometown. I happen to live in a well covered area, so ATT is the better choice for me. Alos, I did manage to get my order in around 10:30 in the morning. I just tried three times and the 4th it went through.
I hope on launch day we will be able to activate.
Obviously the Japanese were smart to simply line-up to pre-order their phones. At least you know you will get your order in… but with the AT&T;system you could easily spend 8 hours trying to get in (like I have) only to be rejected yet again.
Not a good way to treat your customers AT&T;.
One other unmentioned technical or logistical glitch is the fact that those of us who insist on getting a WHITE one – including a few MEN like ME – can’t. Plus we can’t get any information from Apple as to when they think they will begin selling the white ones. :grumble:
Of course the systems are down. There are more bloggers hitting the servers fishing for stories than competent IT professionals that Apple and AT+T can hire to improve the system.
I could buy my new iPhone next month, but what’s the fun in that? Bringing down Apple and ATT servers is part of the fun. Happy to laugh at the frenzy. Hope it makes Jobs activate the NC BILLION DOLLAR SERVER FARM sooner rather than later.
The apple store app for the iphone was the only way I was able to get it work, but that just reserves one at the store, it doesn’t get it shipped to you. No real worries though, means I can get it at 7am instead of 3pm when the FexEx guy would show up.
White one, schmite one. We all already knew white would not be available for pre-order today. That’s not a glitch. That’s an announced fulfillment delay, or whatever you want to call it. Took me several hours, but got my two ordered. Yo Mac-nugget’s point, ATT coverage is pretty good for me, while Verizona dn Sprint are no-shows in my neighborhood. I would probably use ATT even if I had other carriers to choose. But this crap today is illustrative of the fact that exclusivity–even if it was earned, as I believe it was–has its perils.
@Me: actually, on the ATT site, you can process two at a time, at least you can if they are on the same family plan. That may not apply to you, don’t know. Apple’s site only seems to allow one at a time, regardless of what arrangement you have at ATT.
Other web-sites would call this ‘Denial-of-Service’ attack. Except it isn’t zombie PCs that are hitting AT&T, it is the customers.
What I simply cannot understand is, why does EVERYONE have to reserve their iPhone on the first day of reservations??? What would have happened if you had waited until, oh, say, tomorrow? Or Saturday? Or next Tuesday? Or next Thursday???? You’d still have reserved your phone, and you’d still have been eligible to stand in that line on 25th, to pick up your precious device at 7AM.
Again, can anyone please, please answer, WHY was it so important to RESERVE the device within first few hours???
Yeah, the preorder thing is kind of funny. I waited two months for the 3GS and will wait til my Fido contract is two years before I get the 4. I want one real bad but I can be patient.
Boo Hoo oh woe is me. How can I live another day without knowing I will get an new phone. I may commit suicide, life with a 3G is no life at all. Goodbye ATT, Goodby Steve. I feel better now.
It took about an hour but I finally got through. However, I only got an option to pick up in store. Am I wrong or should I also been given an option to get it via UPS?
I got through in about 10 minutes, but only to pick up in the store starting at 7am on the 24th.
ATT found the problem, the hamster that runs on the wheel that generates power for their servers died. They are working on a replacement, so far only gunnipigs can be found
@singidunum
Because we all want to have it before you and laugh at you for a day silly.
@singidunum
Because they are sure to run out, and then it will take weeks longer to get. Are you slow???
@yoda – you did not use the Force, did you?
“What I simply cannot understand is, why does EVERYONE have to reserve their iPhone on the first day of reservations??? What would have happened if you had waited until, oh, say, tomorrow? Or Saturday? Or next Tuesday? Or next Thursday???? You’d still have reserved your phone, and you’d still have been eligible to stand in that line on 25th, to pick up your precious device at 7AM.”
You sound like you work for AT&T;.
The fact that the servers are overloaded suggests that demand is higher than anticipated. It is quite possible that the supply of the new phone will be outstripped by pre-orders – so getting in the queue ASAP might be important. Unlikely, but better safe than sorry.
Regarding ” eligible to stand in that line on 25th”:
The phone comes out on the 24th. Not sure why anyone would wait an extra day.
You can choose to have it shipped and it will arrive on the 24th.
I will end with this: you are totally missing the point. When a company offers a method for consumers to use that does not work, consumers will be frustrated. This has nothing to do with timing, it has to do with failure of the service to be provided as promised.
I got minesssssssssss
I’m done. I’m done trying to beg Apple and ATT to take my money. Sure, in a day or two – everything would probably run smoothly. That is not the point. It is the principle. ATT and tarnished the Apple brand one too many times. Hopefully Apple will see this as the gauntlet. My reward for waiting, will be being able to choose my carrier (hopefully). Until then – I will enjoy my 3Gs
Apple site would not work at all-kept timing out after 5 seconds, wouldn’t get account info.
Logged into AT&T;,preorder done in 2 minutes.
I seriously believe apple screwed the pooch on this-not AT&T;
After trying since 6:00 AM west coast time, my order finally went through at 1:50 PM.
It felt like giving birth. It was a long labor.
Holy Shit. What happens when we start using these things?
Frustrating!!!!!!