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Not sure why anyone would think that participating in the Upgrade Program would give them priority over other customers for new iPhones at launch. Doesn't say anything like that in the promo material for the program.

Wasn't looking for priority, but it added extra steps to the process including creating a reservation that held everything up. I'd been worried about how this would play out all year...looks like I was right to worry.
 
Interesting, I'm considering signing up for the iPhone Upgrade program to replace my 6, after things calm down.
I wonder if Apple agrees that these are their "most loyal customers".
Apple has the metrics regarding who is eligible to upgrade, and could have created a "by invitation" campaign.
Could it be that Apple doesn't really want these customers to upgrade?
I suppose Apple only cares if people buy their phones. It's not clear whether there's any added benefit to Apple for a customer using the upgrade program (other than that it facilitates more frequent upgrades and this more sales for them). The benefit to the customer is not being tied to a carrier via contract or via phone financing plan. I think that's what makes the upgrade program attractive to me.
 
I'm sure Apple values the people dropping the full price rather than the IUP customers that will put nothing down initially. They get all their money rather than lending out a device that isn't paid for up front. I'm not saying it's fair but it would make sense. Most of the people on the IUP won't even end up fulfilling the full price of the phone before they upgrade again. So Apple probably just wanted the guaranteed full retail buyers.

That makes no sense. Apple isn't financing. They get all the money up front. You're paying someone else, not apple.
 
I believe because the cell carriers have you tied into an agreement with them they don't need to do much. And it could be Citizens that is making this difficult. Either way, it needs to change.

Yeah, I agree. Maybe you're right, maybe it's a restriction that Citizens has (we will probably never know the exact details of their agreement). Maybe Apple can renegotiate that.
 
It's crazy (I'm crazy) that I would pick this instead of waiting a few weeks for a black model to be available. In the 1980s I would have to wait 6-8 weeks for a floppy disk with a game on it. Now I can't wait a few weeks for a $900 phone.

You know...I feel the same way. I feel crazy for not being patient and just settling for the white/silver one. However, I have never had a white iPhone so maybe it will remind me of the white iPod of yesteryear. I might ask someone in the store if they have any black models (either variety). It can't hurt.
 
What I just don't understand is why couldn't it be multiple days. I don't need it on Friday. Why can't I pick up the color I want when it becomes available. If that means it's in a week then great, I'll pick it up then. Instead now I either have to keep the phone i have OR wait until after the first day pickup to try my chances again.
 
Nice article summing up the issues. Apple deliberately restricted stock for those already enrolled in the IUP. They're getting our money no matter what, whether we get a new 7 or continue to pay for our 6Ss. Allocating more stock for other purchase methods will ensure higher profits.
 
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I know it's not an Apple loan, it's Citizens Bank. And yes, you can use Apple Pay with a credit card to guarantee the purchase...then handle the loan after. And yes, one day Apple should be the one doing these loans - and yes, it can happen.

Two different systems involving a refund. Not going to happen.
 
And it would work (IUP) marginally better if 'your' phone was actually pulled from inventory while you were processing your order. I still can't believe USA store stock went from Full to zero for almost all 7+ models in five minutes. If you were looking, there were NO states in the 'pick a store' dropdown except Alaska, Texas, and a couple others when I exited the other end to actually click on Apple Pay. I about fell over.

If your phone was actually pulled at the beginning when you selected it, then this would work for the folks that get on first. But the inventory control process isn't made for real-time-updating at that level.

Moral of the story: Turn off MFA and all that other time wasting stuff. :)
 
Someone said "most loyal". No, just no. Anyone who buys an iPhone is allowed one as much as the next person. First come, first serve. Get over it.
Except...this situation is the opposite of that, as upgrades were given a different, crappier process. I had my phone on next, but just swapped the the Apple upgrade program. I'm hoping they fix it before next year.
 
100% of all iPhone lease members will want to get a new iPhone, Why not? they already paid for it.

so it's gonna be messy. Apple should've predicted this and start its production months before.
Seems to me that Apple just ran out of phones set aside for the upgrade program. Users will still be able to upgrade, just not 9/16.
 
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Exactly. Anyone not in the Upgrade program had the full (albeit limited) stock of Apple's own iPhone inventory to purchase from; online and local stores. Upgrade program folks were further limited to only a portion of the launch day stock at local store locations. This was a much, much smaller pool of stock. And with no way to reserve beyond launch day, we're now kind of stuck in limbo. Meaning, we have no idea when we can reserve one at this point.

Everyone else can still go now online and buy one with a guaranteed ship date, even if that's in November. Upgrade people can't even do that. Can't even get a date when we will have one, unless we stand in line at a local store each morning beginning on the 16th or check online beginning on the 17th.

What should have happened was anyone looking to upgrade should have had equal access to purchase from the same pool of inventory as everyone else and then have that phone shipped to a local store on the 16th (or thereafter). Then we'd have a confirmed date that we can actually get one. I'd be fine if I missed out on 9/16. But at least let me reserve one for a future date based on the availability that everyone else sees. (Also, why the requirement to go to a store? But that's not the main point.)

Right now everyone who didn't get one for the 16th is truly in limbo.

100% correct. I am in the same boat.
 
I suppose Apple only cares if people buy their phones. It's not clear whether there's any added benefit to Apple for a customer using the upgrade program (other than that it facilitates more frequent upgrades and this more sales for them). The benefit to the customer is not being tied to a carrier via contract or via phone financing plan. I think that's what makes the upgrade program attractive to me.

Sounds like you are tied. Have to have a carrier to order it (being untied means Apple wouldn't ask you about a carrier). ATT/tmobile can't be used at cdma carriers.
 
That makes no sense. Apple isn't financing. They get all the money up front. You're paying someone else, not apple.
You only make payments until the next iPhone. You don't pay the full retail through the upgrade program unless you decide to. But myself like many others paid the full retail right away with no problem. I'm saying if you paid in full last night you paid 649-969, some people in the IUP wouldn't make it beyond like $450 by next year. So people that just paid outright guarantee Apple they get their full payment for the device. So either way someone isn't getting the full amount up front is what I'm saying.
 
We're talking about people with 6Ss having to go a few weeks until they get their 7s.

It strikes me as kind of pathetic that they're whining. For a few weeks they're going to have to settle with only having the second best phone, which only came out just over a year ago, instead of having the best phone that came out a few weeks ago.

Meanwhile, I'm happily using my iPhone 6+ (which I actually didn't get until November despite preordering at midnight on the first possible day in September.) When I eventually choose to upgrade (maybe to the 7S. Or the 8. Or the 8S. Or the 9. IDK, depends on how long it takes Apple to make a phone that seems worth the price tag to upgrade to), I'm fully expecting that it'll be a 2 month wait again. I'll live. It'll be fine. I won't die (or even complain) about not having the newest tech for a few weeks.

I suppose these people would spontaneously explode or something if they made a deposit on the Tesla Model 3. You've got over a year or waiting ahead of you when you sign up for that. I signed up 5 months ago and only have the faintest chance of having my car delivered within a year of now.
 
Seems to me that Apple just ran out of phones set aside for the upgrade program. Users will still be able to upgrade, just not 9/16.
What they ran out of is 'preallocated stock in stores'. Either they didn't actually allocate enough for areas with a lot of IUP members, or more people wanted certain models (Black, Jet Black, 256) than their research thought.

I still think no one should have gotten to do a store pickup for a couple of days IF IUP mandates an in-store exachange. But, as I said elsewhere, there is NO strict requirement for the in-store exchange. I'd much rather get the new phone via UPS as 'in days of yore' and send the old one back, as we used to do when sending it to Amazon, or other trade-in service.
 
First time since 2007 I couldn't get a day one phone. I'm not happy at all. I've been an exclusive Apple developer since 1985 (those were the days, we paid more but got great discounts - now you get bupkis) and can't even get a phone to work with. Not as a developer, not as an upgrade member, just not. So sad.

But there is another problem. Say it takes a month to get the phone (OMG please no). Now I've paid an extra month on my old phone. And when the iPhone 8 comes out, I'll only have made 11 payments on the new phone, and therefore in every subsequent year I can't get a day one phone because I'm a month behind.

The whole situation is... not Apple. Not at all.
 
Hopefully they will have this fixed next year. I'm a first time buyer into the program as Verizon changed their plans to allow for other payment plans.

At worst, I'll pay the phone off and re-enroll with the program, if this issues persist next time around, then just trade it in with next worth, where I pretty much break even every time (if I get a quote early enough).
 
I signed up for the first time for IUP last night, and I'm trying to prepare myself for next year... aside from perhaps waiting a few weeks to get the new phone, is there any other problem here?
 
Someone said "most loyal". No, just no. Anyone who buys an iPhone is allowed one as much as the next person. First come, first serve. Get over it.

That isn't first come first serve, they blocked people from getting certain versions. I agree first come first serve but that is NOT what happened
 
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Wasn't looking for priority, but it added extra steps to the process including creating a reservation that held everything up. I'd been worried about how this would play out all year...looks like I was right to worry.

But you are going to get an iPhone 7 within the standard framework of the program, correct?
 
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