iPhone 3G Selling Twice as Fast as Original

[y rome]

Find out availability before 9:00 PM!

How to find out availability before 9:00 PM:

It's really simple. Set your clock to after 9:00 PM. This will trick the web page into thinking that it should display live availability.

I've used it and it seems relatively accurate at updating real time inventory.

Hope this helps!!!!!

 

[PUCCY]

You'd wait in line for hours for some bread?

LMAO!!!! Oh man! that cracked me up!

 

[maestro55]

What Apple need to do is maybe start selling them in Best Buy stores. They sell loads of cell phones, iPods, and Macs. You might as well add the iPhone to the stores. I could see the same iPhone displays that they have in At&t stores, in Best Buy stores. Well at least they should do this when they get iPhones back in stock.

What I would like to see is the Connection Center at Wal-Mart getting iPhones. I mean you would be surprised the number of customers that pay full price for phones at Wal-Mart who would be willing to get an iPhone at the new price targets. And the more places Apple has their products the more lines that can be formed for out of stock products.

 

[cameronjpu]

It is cheaper, most people do not add the extra cost when making a purchase. It's like saying a $35,000 is not cheaper because you have to add gas. A computer is not cheaper because you have to add the software. My Apple sales receipt says $299

You people do understand that you are talking past each other, right?

Both of you knows what the other is saying, and no amount of discussion is going to change either of your minds. So why do you keep going back and forth over what "more expensive" means?

 

[CarlHeanerd]

LOL, it is twice as fast in more than one aspect ....
FTW

 

[seedster2]

I dont think it's cheaper

Only thing irritating me about this cheaper comparison is that is not a fair comparison.

The first generation iphone was unsubsidized and sold for big bucks ~$500

Thesecond generation iphone is subsidized and sells for significantly less, but they have yet to announce an unsubsidized price which will likely eclipse that of the original.

So even when you dont account for TCO, apples to apples the first is cheaper or the same. Let's wait to compare prices when a non-commital version is released then there is actual parity.

On another note, I would never wait in line for an iphone for several hours. There will always be more. Moreover, many of you had perfectly good 2.5G iphones that could have been updated until the frenzy subsided.

 

[mdriftmeyer]

Actually, the article says that "Apple revealed ..." not AT&T.

Edit ... my bad, I misread ... sorry. "In Apple related news, AT&T revealed ..."

You were dyin' to disprove the growth or you wouldn't have jumped the gun.

 

[mainstreetmark]

Apple is creating a shortage of iphone on purpose... they have MORE then enough... it creates a phony atmosphere of demand... ala Nintendo Wii marketing strategy... it works.

So, you're clever business strategy is to sell less phones to people. You're telling us that there's a line of 50 people outside a store and Apple is choosing to not sell products to those people, in order to, oddly, create demand, which of course is desirable so that people will want to buy it.

May I suggest an alternate theory? The new phone is going at, perhaps unexpectedly, twice the rate of the old phone, and I doubt they have twice the manufacturers in place.

 

[bepps]

Lines Still Forming; Availability Tool

Lines are definitely still forming at my local Apple store in Columbus, Ohio. I've stood in line three times so far (for 90 minutes, 45 minutes, and 75 minutes) and have yet to get my hands on an iPhone. I'm wanting a 16GB black and an 8GB black, and every time I've stood in line they've run out of one or both before it was my turn. The last time (a few days ago), after waiting 75 minutes, an employee came to collect me from the front of the line to start the process, and I was told that they had just run out of everything except 16GB white (I passed). I also checked at two local AT&T stores; no lines at all (I was the lone customer in the one AT&T store), but also no iPhones. They're taking pre-orders for officially 10-21 days out, but a customer service person at AT&T said to be ready for a 4-6 week wait even for pre-orders.

On the availability tool: it's essentially worthless. I spoke to a store manager at the local Apple store and she confirmed that all this shows is the stock that's left over from that day (hence the "after 9:00 p.m."). Even at that, it's potentially misleading; the store could have a grand total of three iPhones left at the end of the day (one of each variety), and the online availability tool would show three green circles, perhaps leading some to think "Great! Plenty of iPhones in stock!" She also acknowledged that there is no "live" availability tool, and that even Apple store employees have no idea what kind of iPhone shipments they're going to receive on any given day (if any) until they unload the truck. So the only way to know what a particular store has on that day is to call the store and ask them--and even that's iffy, since I've witnessed employees informing customers in line that they were out of a particular model when they weren't, and vice versa.

I guess some of us just need to sit back, relax, and wait until they are widely available in quantity. We've waited this long; waiting a little longer won't hurt!

One last thing: I'm curious how many Apple stores are opening early to deal with the lines. Mine's been opening at 8:00 a.m. instead of the usual 10:00, but this hasn't been reflected on their web site or advertised in any way that I've been able to see. Kind of changes the definition of "getting there early" as suggested on Apple's web site.

 

[BigD58]

Not surprised . *clap* *clap* *clap* *clap*

 

[bunnicula]

I am Apple's ideal customer: a longtime Mac user with an AT&T account, eager to buy a 3G iPhone.

Unfortunately, I still don't have one.

I can't buy from Apple because I have a discount on my account, and AT&T doesn't have any stock. (I finally placed my direct fulfillment order on Saturday but haven't heard anything yet.)

I still contend the product roll-out has been a clusterf***. If they planned to do direct fulfillment anyway, they should have started before the on-sale date.

I called AT&T to have my FAN number (which is how they know you have a discount) removed from my account.

Now, when I get ready, I can go to Apple and buy a 3G iPhone.

I did the math and with my service plan plus the new data plan (including text messaging), once I factor in my discount, I will be paying LESS per month for service than I have been paying with my 2G iPhone.

Funny part is, I was NOT gonna upgrade.

I was perfectly happy with the App store and the new software.

Then I found out I could get my corporate discount back. They took that when I got my 2G iPhone.



Now, I figure it's all good. I will upgrade, use the faster phone which includes GPS, and pay about 2.25 less a month (probably more when you factor in the lower taxes).

This would be after paying 30 dollars for the data plan AND adding 5 dollars for SMS.

Sooo.... I go up 15 dollars for data, then down 17.25 after my discount.

I said I'd not buy another one until it made economical sense, and now it does.

Otherwise, I'd be fine with my 2G.

I just don't like the idea of NOT getting the discount I always had before I got the 2G iPhone, and paying more per month for slower service. We've got 3G all over the place where I live. I had a Blackjack for several months before I got the 2G on launch day (and no, I didn't have to wait in line, I just walked in and there was no line and they had some, so I bought one).

This is my first post here, though I've read the site off and on for years.

And I've rambled terribly.

 

[bunnicula]

Only thing irritating me about this cheaper comparison is that is not a fair comparison.

The first generation iphone was unsubsidized and sold for big bucks ~$500

Thesecond generation iphone is subsidized and sells for significantly less, but they have yet to announce an unsubsidized price which will likely eclipse that of the original.

So even when you dont account for TCO, apples to apples the first is cheaper or the same. Let's wait to compare prices when a non-commital version is released then there is actual parity.

On another note, I would never wait in line for an iphone for several hours. There will always be more. Moreover, many of you had perfectly good 2.5G iphones that could have been updated until the frenzy subsided.

Yeah. I'm not gonna stand in line. As I said earlier, I didn't do it on launch day back in June of 2007, and I sure won't do it now, because I already have a perfectly serviceable iPhone.

I think that the TCO for this phone, assuming a 2-year contract, is always going to be higher, because the data plan is higher. Then again, if you bought any other smart phone from AT&T, you'd pay the same for data as you would with the 3G, so it's hard to factor that in properly. The 2G just didn't have a true data plan... it had MediaWorks with some text messages thrown in, and that's significantly cheaper.

I DO think that the lower up front cost IS driving sales of the 3G iPhone, though.

People NEVER think of how much a monthly bill is gonna cost.

 

[bunnicula]

That's something I have yet to understand.

How are people selling iPhones on eBay and Craigslist?

They are AT&T customers, and they're adding phones, then selling them, and using a REGULAR phone (or whatever they happen to own) instead. You can remove the data plan from your service agreement. You are only committing to having service for 2 years, not to a particular TYPE of service.

Many people will do this sort of thing if they think there's a profit in there for them, and if they don't have much interest in whatever product they're selling.

 

[bunnicula]

Oh, I wasn't busting on AT&T. I was just making the point that the overall cost of the phone over 2 years is more than it was with the original iPhone. AT&T can charge whatever they want.

What stinks is the people who live in 2G areas but are paying extra for 3G.

Yeah. If I lived in a primarily 2G area, and I wasn't in a 3G area very often, I sure would've bought a 2G iPhone instead. It just makes sense.

 

[Pandaboots]

Indeed lines are still forming, which is truly mind-boggling.

After I stepped out of work at ~6PM on Monday (7/21), I decided to take the following pictures of the line at the the 5th Ave. Apple store:

just curious to know if those pictures were taken with the iphone 3g?

 

[johnnyjibbs]

just curious to know if those pictures were taken with the iphone 3g?

I could tell you now - no way! The camera is nowhere near that good. In fact, I don't like the camera much. It's ok but it's only 2MP, has no flash or other options and is pretty clumsy to hold. In fact, I'm always worried I'm going to drop it when I try to take a picture (no dedicated camera button, and it's clumsy to find/press the button when you're holding it at that angle).

But, on topic, I'm not surprised the iPhone 3G is selling as well as it is. I feel for you guys in the US, who are getting screwed on higher overall prices. I'm chuffed with the UK deal (which is certainly a no-brainer for existing iPhone 2G users) as it's the same contract price overall, but with no upfront cost on some plans and only a nominal charge for the 16GB. It was way too expensive before...

 

[onicon]

And Apple is launching in another 20 countries in the next month ? great my local shop ( in Spain ) got 5 UNITS 5 ,five, cinco, fünf ,on launch date and
since then they haven´t received NONE , 0 , cero , nada , nichts nothing !!!!!

This is ridiculous !!!!

When do you think I will get mine , in three Months ? if I am lucky

Saludos

same here in germany. no iphone whatsoever. no timeframe is given for restocking. customers are pissed, salespersons helpless. would have been better to wait some time for the introduction and have it available for more than 2 hours!

 

[shen]

errrr

I went to the apple store to see if the 3G phone was faster... I turned off wi-fi on the 3G phone and on my phone. Then I launched Safari on both. And typed in Yahoo on both phones and hit the Go button at the exact same time... and the Edge phone was faster... I was in shock. I had to pull my friend away to show him and bam ... the edge phone won a 2nd time to a brand new website he said to visit. I was VERY disappointed. Honestly I think the EDGE service has gotten faster since I first got my phone??? Go test it your self...

When the edge iphone came out, I could casually walk into a apple store the day after the launch and buy a phone no problem.. with out the lines.

Apple is creating a shortage of iphone on purpose... they have MORE then enough... it creates a phony atmosphere of demand... ala Nintendo Wii marketing strategy... it works.

ok, i did test it, and boy must 3G suck in your area....

also, do you have any proof of this artificial shortage, or are you just blowing smoke?

 

[shen]

How to find out availability before 9:00 PM:

It's really simple. Set your clock to after 9:00 PM. This will trick the web page into thinking that it should display live availability.

I've used it and it seems relatively accurate at updating real time inventory.

Hope this helps!!!!!

i tried this with my stock ticker, and i am going to make a killing on some stuff i looked up for late next month.....

 

[kjs862]

great news but i don't understand why the stock prices aren't doing too good

 

[saminsocks]

I'm not sure if the problem is that 3G is bad in some areas or that Edge is better in some areas. I played with my iPhone while I was vacationing in the Bay area and went everywhere with public transportation. While on the light rail or bus it would often switch back and forth. Some times I noticed the connection was really slow and looked to see that it was an Edge connection. Other times I just happened to notice it was an Edge network but didn't notice any difference in speed. Only a few times I noticed the connection was really slow on 3G, but those times I was loading a page that wasn't optimized for mobile phones, and usually I had just done a search.

 

[rlmccormick]

LOL, it is twice as fast in more than one aspect ....
FTW

Ha. For a lot of people that is actually the only way it is twice as fast.

 

[avigalante]

just curious to know if those pictures were taken with the iphone 3g?

Yes, they indeed were.

I could tell you now - no way!

See above.

 

[DiamondMac]

Not surprising to me.

There are many regular people that I know who have gotten or will get a iPhone

They love how easy it is to check your mail with it
Love the apps/games I have shown them
Love how cool it looks/feels
Love how the price has dropped

 

[diamond3]

Am I the only one questioning that the iphone is only selling twice as fast?

So if it took 3 days to sell a million on the 3g iphone, and 74 days on the first gen iphone for 1 mil, how does it work out to be 2x as fast? I guess you can count for so many locations being sold out, but that still seems like a low number.

https://www.macrumors.com/2008/07/14/apple-sells-1-million-iphones-10-million-apps-downloaded-in-first-weekend/

Despite long lines and activation troubles, Apple announced today that they sold its one millionth iPhone 3G on Sunday, only three days after its initial launch on Friday, July 11th. In the press release, Steve Job points out that it took 74 days to sell the same number of the original iPhone. The iPhone 3G is now available in in 21 countries. When the iPhone was first announced in 2007, Apple had announced a goal of selling 10 million iPhones in 2008

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