It only gets better...
10/22 at 4:21 EDT called AT&T to get an updated expected ship window and I was given the following and I kid you not.
"Your order will ship in 28 to 35 business days".
I replied: "but I preordered on 9/12/14"
To which she replied: "I am sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused"
To which I replied: "This is not an inconvenience, this is just poor customer service. If I ordered today, how long would it take to ship?"
To which she replied: "28 to 35 business days".
I replied: "How is that even possible? How can I order on 9/12 and then be put in the same priority as someone who ordered today? That does not even make sense."
To which she replied: "I know. I am sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused".
I was disgusted at that point. I waited 15 minutes to cool off and called back.
The second CSR I spoke to was infinitely more helpful. She drilled down on the order, identified I ordered it on 9/12, identified I had already waited the 3-4 weeks based on the original guidance, but said the system had no indication of when the phones would ship and that they were on backorder. She said without a date, it could ship anytime, it really just depends on the supply and number of backorders. She advised to keep the order active, but check the local stores for stock, if I find it before the phone is shipped, then cancel the preorder after buying the new phone. While none of this was new information, at least she was trying to be helpful.
Again, not sure who to blame. Apple? AT&T? Both? Steve Jobs?