My Experience Pre-Ordering a $742.69 iPhone 4

by Sebastien on Jun 16, 2010

Like me, you probably spent a good part of yesterday refreshing Apple’s pre-order page, filling in the information required and getting various frustrating error messages.

Besides trying to pre-order the iPhone 4, I spent most of my day at the hospital with my fiancee who was meeting with a couple specialists (nothing major). I frenetically checked my iPhone every 2 minutes or so and tried countless times to go through the pre-order process.

At some point I heard rumors that AT&T was running out of iPhones and I thought it wouldn’t be too long until Apple does too. In the meanwhile I had received several tips from people on Twitter telling me the Apple Store application that Apple had released was working great for pre-ordering.

So I decided to use this app to reserve my iPhone for pickup, instead of pre-ordering it for delivery as this option wasn’t available. In less than a minute I had reserved an iPhone 4 which I was supposed to pick up on June 24th.

I was really relieved I did have my name on one of those iPhones but I still wasn’t completely satisfied. I didn’t want to drive 45 minutes and wait in line to pick up an iPhone that I wasn’t even sure would be there for me. Yes, when you pre-order an iPhone for pick up, there is absolutely no guarantee that you will get this iPhone. It’s all on a first-come, first-served basis!

So I kept trying the Apple Store website in the hope that it would go through at some point. And it did! While we were stuck in traffic on our way back from the hospital, I was able to add an iPhone 4 to my cart. I then started praying for 3G not to die on me. It didn’t.

After a few minutes of filling out information, I had successfully pre-ordered my iPhone 4 for delivery on June 24th. That made my day!

Since I was not eligible for any kind of upgrade I had to pay full price for my iPhone. Total amount came to $742.69 ($699 + $43.69 in taxes). That ain’t a cheap iPhone! For that price, I could probably get an unlocked iPhone in Canada…

I still have the other iPhone 4 reserved at my local Apple Store and I will leave this reservation opened, just in case something goes wrong with my delivery.

That was a painful experience which ate up most of my day, but of course it was worth it. What wouldn’t we do for an iPhone?

How was your experience pre-ordering your iPhone 4? Let us know by leaving a comment.

 

Apple Store Running Out of iPhone 4 Too

by Sebastien on Jun 15, 2010

We just told you that AT&T was running out of iPhone 4 for pre-order. Well, it seems Apple itself is running out of iPhones as well. According to 9 to 5 Mac, the Apple Store is backed up at least until July. I’m glad my order went it on time. I hope you were as lucky as I was.

If you can’t wait for July, your last chance is to get in line on June 24th.

 

How to Pre-Order Your iPhone 4 During The iPhonecalypse

by Sebastien on Jun 15, 2010

If you’re one of the many that were not successful pre-ordering your iPad today because of all the AT&T fiasco, then their might be some light at the end of the tunnel.

It’s official, AT&T is sold out of iPhone 4 pre-orders for the launch day. Your only hope is now Apple. At the time I am writing this, Apple’s website is still crashing when trying to pre-order an iPhone 4.

From my personal experience, if you want to get to pre-order the iPhone 4, your best way is to go through the Apple Store application that was released this morning. You won’t be able to per-order to get your iPhone delivered, however you will be able to reserve your iPhone 4 for pickup.

I just went through the process again and I was able to reserve another iPhone 4 (which I’m going to cancel right away). Be careful though, reserving an iPhone doesn’t guarantee that you will be able to get one.

Per Apple’s own words: “Pre-authorization does not guarantee iPhone availability at an Apple Retail Store. iPhone is sold on a first-come, first-served basis. Your reservation is valid for pickup only at the Apple Retail Store that you selected. If you do not collect your selected item(s) by the designated date and time, your reservation will be canceled.”

Good luck, and let us know how it goes.

 

White Version of iPhone 4 Not Available at Launch

by Cody on Jun 15, 2010

It appears, according to several other gadget blogs, that the black version of the new iPhone will be the only one available on launch day.

The white version will not be offered for another several weeks. In fact macrumors has confirmed that Deutsch Telecom, a German wireless company, will only be carrying the black iPhone as well on launch day.

What does this mean? Well, for a lot people, myself included, this means we might not be participating in the launch day madness if the white iPhone will not be available. Ever since I saw the white iPhone 3G I have been saying to myself that the next iPhone I get will be white!

Now it’s not that I’m discriminating against black phones, my current iPhone 3G is black. I think I like the white one because it looks and feels more exclusive, less common than the black one, thus making me look cooler right?

Hah, truth be told I buy Apple products not for the status but because they make everything I like doing easier. In fact, in a few weeks I will be setting up a small media network with airport express’, possibly a Mac Mini, in my apartment. I’ll keep you posted and will probably detail my experience in an article.

But the real question here is, do I want to join in on the launch day activities and head down to the Apple Store, and be cheered for as I purchase the black iPhone 4? Or do I want to wait weeks, read other hands on reviews with jealousy while I wait for a white iPhone announcement? What are you guys planning to do?

 

AT&T Runs Out of iPhone 4

by Sebastien on Jun 15, 2010

BGR reports that AT&T is sold out of iPhone 4 pre-orders and anyone who was lucky enough to get his pre-order completed after 1:30PM PST will get their iPhone sometimes between June 25 and July 5.

With all this iPhone 4 pre-orders fiasco, I really wonder how anyone got to get through the process. Even more surprising is how AT&T was able to be sold out running on a completely failed system. That will remain one of the big mysteries of the day…

Engadget got an official statement from AT&T:

Because of the incredible interest in iPhone 4, today was the busiest online sales day in AT&T history. As of Tuesday afternoon, customers who preorder iPhone 4 moving forward will receive their device on June 25 or later, depending on when the order is placed. We’ll email customers with confirmation once their order is placed, and again when it ships. In addition, we will have devices available on a first-come, first-serve basis in our stores beginning on June 24.

Seems like you can still get an iPhone 4 on launch day if you decide to get in line at 4am… Others who did pre-order thinking they would receive their iPhone on launch day will have to wait at least until June 25. Unacceptable!

 

AT&T Faces Yet Another Security Breach With iPhone 4 Pre-Orders

by Sebastien on Jun 15, 2010

As if 114,000 compromised email addresses and a complete iPhone 4 launch failure weren’t enough, AT&T is now facing another security breach, this time of a more important level.

Apparently, some AT&T customers logging into AT&T’s website get access to other people’s account.

According to Gizmodo:

This is how it happens: A customer tries to log into their AT&T account to order a new iPhone 4 upgrade. Despite entering their username and password, the AT&T system would take them to another user account. This gives access to all kinds of private information about the mistaken customer: Addresses, phone calls, and bills, along with the rest of private information, becomes exposed to random strangers.

An AT&T insider explains what really happened:

Over the weekend there was a major fraud update that went down on all of AT&T’s systems, from Saturday overnight to Sunday early morning. All systems were down and agents were unable to use any systems.

The issues people are seeing at AT&T stores and online are most likely related to this update that went wrong.

I do know that there was absolutely NO TESTING of this system done before the launch of the new iPhone. I know it’s just heresay at this point, but I can confirm that there was a major outage over the weekend that impacted all ordering systems and programs, and I can confirm that there were multiple systems being upgraded/updated, with some updates being related to fraud.

That’s heavy. That’s really heavy!

What says you?

[Image from Giz]

 

Failure to Launch: iPhone 4 Pre-Orders Create the First iPhonecalypse

by Sebastien on Jun 15, 2010

If you tried to pre-order your iPhone 4 today, you probably encountered difficulties, namely, Apple’s or AT&T’s website timing out and giving you various errors. Some early reports say these issues were even worse than a movie featuring Matthew MacConaughey.

It got so bad that at some point during the day both Apple and AT&T shut down parts of their websites, bringing the world to face the very first iPhonecalypse.

So what the heck happened?

What happened is that AT&T’s servers were not ready to receive such a massive amount of traffic and simply went down. You might have been on Apple’s website and have an error message. Well, the error message wasn’t Apple’s fault. It came from Apple because their website wasn’t getting any response from AT&T, thus returning an error message.

Should we blame AT&T?

I love to be the devil’s advocate so I’ll say yes AND no.

Yes we should blame AT&T becaus

 

USB Typewriter Makes Best Obsolete Accessory for iPad

by Sebastien on Jun 15, 2010

Are you feeling a little nostalgic of the good old days prior to the PC revolution? If so, and most importantly if you have an extra $400 to spare in a somewhat useless accessory, then the USB Typewriter might be for you.

Dubbed as a “groundbreaking innovation in the field of obsolescence”, old fashioned manual typewriters can be used as keyboards for iPad.

According to the website USB Typewriter doesn’t involve messy wiring and doesn’t alter the look and feel of the typewriter, except for the USB adapter itself, which is mounted in the rear of the machine.

At $400, that’s an expensive accessory. I might stick to Apple’s $69 iPad keyboard…

 

Unlocked iPhone 4 Available for Purchase in France, UK, and Canada

by Sebastien on Jun 15, 2010

Want to get your hands on an officially unlocked iPhone 4? Then it might be time for you to make a trip to Canada, the UK, or even France as these 3 countries are offering contract-free iPhones that can be used with any carrier anywhere in the world.

They are not excessively expensive either:

  • UK: 16GB for £499 and 32GB for £599
  • France: 16GB for €629 and 32GB for €739
  • Canada: 16GB $649 and 32GB for $749

If you’re desperate for an unlocked iPhone 4, and can’t wait for the Dev Team to come up with an unlock, then figure out a way to go to one of these countries or try to pre-order them online here: France, UK, Canada.

 

Pre-Order Your (Black) iPhone 4 Now

by Sebastien on Jun 15, 2010

You can now pre-order your iPhone 4 now from Apple’s website, or you can reserve it for in-store pick up on June 24th.

Hopefully you will have more luck than I did. I’ve been trying to pre-order a 32GB iPhone 4 for the last 30 minutes and I keep getting various error messages urging me to choose the in-store pickup option.

The rumors about the white iPhone missing were spot on. Per Apple’s website, you will not be able to pre-order or get a white iPhone anytime soon. Why? I have no idea.

Now go for it and let me know how your pre-order went.

 
Page 9...7891011...