Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Tsquare

macrumors member
Original poster
Feb 10, 2008
87
4
When the activation servers crash is that on Apples end or AT&T or both? I ask because I am curious if they do crash are they still able to check to see if you are available for upgrade? I am new to this type of thing (never had an iPhone on launch day) so excuse me if it is a stupid question. Thanks in advance for legit answers.
 
Honestly, why does it matter?

I'm guessing it's mostly Apple's end, though, considering it's through itunes.
 
Honestly, why does it matter?

I'm guessing it's mostly Apple's end, though, considering it's through itunes.

It matters because they need to be able to check for upgrade eligibility for the price of the phone.
 
I doubt the servers will crash on activation day. Activation takes only seconds and not the several minutes ordering does. While Apple and AT&T were unprepared for the number of phones they would sell, they will have an idea of the number of phones they will activate.
 
I've actually heard prior activation days have been pretty bad. I am traveling on the 24th and anticipating that I'll get my phone in the mail and be unable to activate it while still at home.
 
I doubt the servers will crash on activation day. Activation takes only seconds and not the several minutes ordering does. While Apple and AT&T were unprepared for the number of phones they would sell, they will have an idea of the number of phones they will activate.

It took me several hours to activate my iphone last year. I had to call att and swap sims to get it done.
 
If it goes the same as it did when the 3G launched, and im guessing the 3GS? the servers will crash within 60mins of the THOUSANDS of people trying to activate their iphones in the US. You will be able to buy the phone no problem(because i mean really, this is the important part to Apple and ATT right? LOL) but activation will probably be down until later that night. So be prepared to not have a working phone for a couple hours.
 
I doubt the servers will crash on activation day. Activation takes only seconds and not the several minutes ordering does. While Apple and AT&T were unprepared for the number of phones they would sell, they will have an idea of the number of phones they will activate.

Clearly you haven't been here long:rolleyes:
 
When the activation servers crash is that on Apples end or AT&T or both? I ask because I am curious if they do crash are they still able to check to see if you are available for upgrade? I am new to this type of thing (never had an iPhone on launch day) so excuse me if it is a stupid question. Thanks in advance for legit answers.

Most likely AT&T as they are the network, and their activation servers are the same ones that handled the eligibility check.
 
I don't really think it's a question of IF.

I think it's more When and for how long.
 
I think it's pretty much guaranteed that they'll be overwhelmed on launch day. It's happened every year with each new iPhone and I'm expecting even worse this year due to the demand. Last year it took 3-4 hours for my 3GS activation to go through.
 
When I got my 3GS it took me all of two seconds to activate. And I got my phone during lunch. I've never had problems activating.

But that's just me.
 
I am more worried about them being able to check the account and verify I can get it at the upgraded rate. I could care less about it actually being activated for use, I can wait a few hours for that.
 
heh, was at the Apple store tonight - the workers are preparing for chaos and angry people they said. They have to know how to defuse situations. Geez, is it really gonna be that bad???? Security and Police will be keeping the peace the day before and day of. They are not allowing anyone to camp out outside the mall but they expect its not going to stop people.

Talking to one Apple sales rep she said they expect servers to crash so... they have not heard any process or procedures from corporate on how to handle this. Just how to handle the crowds and irate behavior.

I'm so glad I have mine shipping directly to my house. Although once I get it I wanna take a ride out to the stores all around me to see how much chaos there is. I took the day off. Why not...
 
I doubt the servers will crash on activation day. Activation takes only seconds and not the several minutes ordering does. While Apple and AT&T were unprepared for the number of phones they would sell, they will have an idea of the number of phones they will activate.

Remember the catastrophe when the iPhone 3g came out? The entire iTunes store was down for bit there, and AT & T was getting hammered so bad they had to give up on instore activations. They both have 7 days to prepare for this, so hopefully they will be ready.
 
^ Last year, it took about 30 minutes for my phone to activate.

They just set it up through iTunes and let you on your way and it'll activate by itself at some point.
 
You would think they would get the idea after the first few times.
The do seem to be spreading stuff out more this year. iTunes 9.2 came out this week, the iOS 4 upgrade (which results in older iPhones having to be reactivated) is coming out three full days before the iPhone 4 went out sale.

Remember the cluster fudge when they released the iPhone 3G and the iPhone 2.0 OS upgrade on the same day? Every new iPhone sold, and every iPhone being upgraded to the new iPhone 2.0 OS, ... all were activated (or re-activated) on the same day. :eek:

I am more worried about them being able to check the account and verify I can get it at the upgraded rate. I could care less about it actually being activated for use, I can wait a few hours for that.
AT&T said that there were 13 MILLION eligibility checks done during on the iPhone pre-order day. Spread over 24 hours, that works out to 150 eligibility checks per second. Since the pre-order didn't last 24 hours, there number done per second were even higher.

On the 24th, there will be an eligibility check done for every iPhone sold, but because iPhones take several minutes to sell each one, there's no way the number of hits to AT&Ts eligibility server will be anywhere even close to the pre-order day.

I'd think the activation process would be the most likely to have issues, with the 600,000 pre-order folks activating, plus all of the people purchasing in the stores activating.

Would it be hard to activate at the Apple store to? Because I might just have them activate it for me.
If you buy one in a retail store, they're supposed to activate it there before you walk out. All they do is open the box and plug your iPhone into one of their computers. iTunes then tells AT&T that your iPhone is ready to be activated, then AT&T sends out the activation signal (over the AT&T network, not the Apple computer). If the activation servers are screwing up, they may let you go home to complete this process yourself. It's the same process the people that pre-ordered their phones (and had them shipped) will be doing.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.