Best Buy Expects 'Minimal Inventory' of iPhone 4 on Launch Day

[theinstructor]

Best Buy, I swear somebody is going to get so sick of their crap one of these days... How they stay in business I'll never admit I know but it is infuriating.

 

[Maverick713]

Android hasn't outsold iPhone. Anywhere. Data speaks. Period.

people need to learn sarcasm, this was said to be a joke people must be a bit slow today, much like AT&t servers

 

[gehrbox]

Stop it !....

You need to remember : this is a nut house--- Don't piss off the residents

Now that was funny!

 

[80s Fan]

I'm reading through the 24 page document on the originating site and wonder if someone might explain something to me. On page 6, they talk about passing along your old iPhone to a family member. It say "They can add smartphones (such as iPhone 3G) for as little as $24.99 per month, which includes $9.99/month for the additional voice line and $15/month for the DataPlus plan. This will allow the customer to upgrade to the iPhone 4 and pass along their existing phone to a family member."

How can the rate be just $24.99. What am I missing here? And what is the DataPlus plan? I've never looked into adding a line on my contract so this is all new to me.

Thanks for any help.

 

[strangelogic]

I'm reading through the 24 page document on the originating site and wonder if someone might explain something to me. On page 6, they talk about passing along your old iPhone to a family member. It say "They can add smartphones (such as iPhone 3G) for as little as $24.99 per month, which includes $9.99/month for the additional voice line and $15/month for the DataPlus plan. This will allow the customer to upgrade to the iPhone 4 and pass along their existing phone to a family member."

How can the rate be just $24.99. What am I missing here? And what is the DataPlus plan? I've never looked into adding a line on my contract so this is all new to me.

Thanks for any help.

It's based on a family-plan with shared minutes, additional lines in the 'family' are only 9.99 each, plus the new stupidly low data plan... 24.99

 

[twoodcc]

this isn't good for those that pre-ordered with best buy. i pre-ordered there, but then just ordered on at an at&t store

 

[oneals2focus]

Glad I've got one reserved at the Apple Store

+1

 

[Apollo21]

I'm reading through the 24 page document on the originating site and wonder if someone might explain something to me. On page 6, they talk about passing along your old iPhone to a family member. It say "They can add smartphones (such as iPhone 3G) for as little as $24.99 per month, which includes $9.99/month for the additional voice line and $15/month for the DataPlus plan. This will allow the customer to upgrade to the iPhone 4 and pass along their existing phone to a family member."

How can the rate be just $24.99. What am I missing here? And what is the DataPlus plan? I've never looked into adding a line on my contract so this is all new to me.

Thanks for any help.

I think the $25 comes from the $10 + $15 that you quoted

$10 for an additional line on a family plan (as it says) and $15 for the data plan that's required for an iPhone (as it says). So that's it.

 

[lamar0607]

I'm reading through the 24 page document on the originating site and wonder if someone might explain something to me. On page 6, they talk about passing along your old iPhone to a family member. It say "They can add smartphones (such as iPhone 3G) for as little as $24.99 per month, which includes $9.99/month for the additional voice line and $15/month for the DataPlus plan. This will allow the customer to upgrade to the iPhone 4 and pass along their existing phone to a family member."

How can the rate be just $24.99. What am I missing here? And what is the DataPlus plan? I've never looked into adding a line on my contract so this is all new to me.

Thanks for any help.

I would assume they are referring to ATT's add a line for $10 and the new tiered smartphone data plans they have just implemented June 7th. $15 is the cheapest plan for 200mb. $25 is 2gb. Unlimited is no longer available unless you had an unlimited plan before June 7th. Your minutes will be shared. The $24.99 would not include any texting.

 

[gehrbox]

EVERYONE PANIC!!!

According to all the alleged rumors, there will be almost no iPhones on opening day.

I think you will find that many Apple stores will have a bunch of iPhone4's in stock. The reason is a lot of people reserved one (or more) when they had trouble getting a pre order made on the 15th and later succeeded getting in a pre order. Some will hold onto the reservation until they get a tracking number on their pre order.

 

[BlondeBuddhist]

Call me a optimist here...

But "Best Buy expecting minimal inventory" is exactly what was being spouted off the first initial post that they would be carrying the phone at all, right?

"Great news, Best Buy will be getting about 45 iPhones per store!!!"
OR
"Best Buy expects a minimal amount of iPhones on launch day"

Both say the same thing, just worded a bit different. After all, 45 phones (if they even get that) is certainly a minimal amount compared to Apple stores, no?

I did the Best Buy pre-order on the day it opened and was one of the first (was there at 10:45 and no one else was in the store so I can possibly assume I was first) The manager has told me they only did 20 in the 2 days they accepted pre-orders. I also have stated that I will be going to the AT&T store that is right across the street at 4 a.m. just to be safe. We'll see.

Blonde Buddhist

 

[ChrisMurrayOU]

People should have known what they were getting themselves into by pre-ordering at bestbuy. June 15 and 16th were the desperate times. When people become desperate, then they do things without thinking... like pre-ordering at bestbuy.

Yep.

 

[likemyorbs]

Well, this sucks for me.

Seriously? Dude, we live in NJ. There's an Apple store or an AT&T store within 10-15 minutes of you no matter what part of the state you're in. And definitely in Princeton. Why would you EVER go to best buy for a newly released apple product?

 

[ItouchMe]

I don't know if everyone looked at the whole documents from bestbuy but on one of the pages it clearly states "Note: iPhone 4 devices will not be available on launch day"

 

[ihaveNFC]

Great. Yet another smack to the balls.

 

[BlondeBuddhist]

I don't know if everyone looked at the whole documents from bestbuy but on one of the pages it clearly states "Note: iPhone 4 devices will not be available on launch day"

Yes. It also says that "Unlike the 3G the iPhone 4 WILL BE available on launch day"

Thus the confusion

Blonde Buddhist

 

[ChrisMurrayOU]

If Apple really had no idea that 600,000 units would be pre-order and this whole fiasco would occur, it would make sense for them to have the iPhone at as many retail locations as possible to attract new customers who don't care that much and maybe didn't even know about the launch. If Apple really didn't expect to run out of phones, this whole thing wouldn't be very big of an issue with BB. Their sales people sure didn't seem worried when they were making "guarantees" that there would be an iPhone for everyone who pre-ordered.

I mean it all sucks and I doubt few of us went to Best Buy as their first option (I sure didn't), but who knows?

 

[strangelogic]

it says a lot of things..

I don't know if everyone looked at the whole documents from bestbuy but on one of the pages it clearly states "Note: iPhone 4 devices will not be available on launch day"

Yeah - saw that.

But it also says "inventory availability is expected to be minimal'' meaning to me that it isn't available because it's been pre-sold, and even macrumors seems to have interpreted that as "minimal inventory'' - not even enough to cover pre-sales.

On page 10 it says clearly: "This launch is unique as we expect all inventory will already be accounted for by launch day due to pre-sales."

So - who knows, I'm just hoping to have iOS 4 tomorrow morning...

 

[iPadPublisher]

Sheesh...

What a disaster. Something has got to change. I think Apple has pissed off as many people as they've pleased with this. Congrats on 600k units on launch day, but c'mon this is such a wreck. Apple has made all their partners look bad, too, which was avoidable with better communication and planning.

 

[jaykid007]

I'm with the other guy. Why would anyone buy via best buy or ATT knowing well that there was phones available to pre-order on the Apple website. These would of been my 2nd resorts. Being that these are 3rd party vendors, its never perfect. May of not been perfect on the apple site either, but mine has already shipped from Hong Kong. Just a thought. Maybe someone has the answer.

 

[drober30]

Call me a optimist here...

But "Best Buy expecting minimal inventory" is exactly what was being spouted off the first initial post that they would be carrying the phone at all, right?

"Great news, Best Buy will be getting about 45 iPhones per store!!!"
OR
"Best Buy expects a minimal amount of iPhones on launch day"

Both say the same thing, just worded a bit different. After all, 45 phones (if they even get that) is certainly a minimal amount compared to Apple stores, no?

I did the Best Buy pre-order on the day it opened and was one of the first (was there at 10:45 and no one else was in the store so I can possibly assume I was first) The manager has told me they only did 20 in the 2 days they accepted pre-orders.
Blonde Buddhist

I agree!

 

[ChrisTX]

I'm with the other guy. Why would anyone buy via best buy or ATT knowing well that there was phones available to pre-order on the Apple website. These would of been my 2nd resorts. Being that these are 3rd party vendors, its never perfect. May of not been perfect on the apple site either, but mine has already shipped from Hong Kong. Just a thought. Maybe someone has the answer.

Considering it took me 5 hours to get in a pre order from Apples website starting at 5AM, and others tried all day and came away with NOTHING. I'd say Best Buy wasn't necessarily a bad choice in the beginning.

 

[chim9999]

so glad i was able to pre-order from apple and i have my tracking #. there's no apple store, best buy or at&t iPhone retailer. closest bb or att is 2 hrs. apple store is 4. one wal mart will only have 16gb, don't have high hopes of the other having 32.

i know, i know. it's just a phone and i would get one eventually. i've never been patient, though. i waited in line for my first gen and haven't upgraded since this. it always makes for a good story!

 

[jaykid007]

Considering it took me 5 hours to get in a pre order from Apples website starting at 5AM, and others tried all day and came away with NOTHING. I'd say Best Buy wasn't necessarily a bad choice in the beginning.

Yeah your right. I started at 6:40 am for an hour and then went to class. Came back at 4:08pm and got in luckily. Yeah, so anyone that got hosed, BB and ATT were at least viable options. Im sure some apology or incentive will come out after the hell is over with!

 

[Statusnone88]

After my EVO pre-order and their AWESOME customer service skills I lost a lot of respect for them. Sigh.....

You had respect for them in the first place?