I know that if you pre-order from Apple the phone will be shipped. If I go to the AT&T store and pre-order the 4S can I pick it up on release day at the AT&T store, or do I have to wait for it to be shipped as well?
AT&T would be the people to answer that question. Although I think they allowed that last year, there's no information at this point as to how they'll handle it this time around. Every cycle seems to work a little differently.