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U.S. iPhone Launch, More Photos, and Impressions
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Just took a walk up to the 5th Ave store in Manhattan on my lunch break (only 5 blocks) to see if, by some impossible miracle, the line was such that I could get through it during the course of my hour break.
heh. Yeah right.
Still goes all the way down 58th St and onto Madison Ave.
heh. Yeah right.
Still goes all the way down 58th St and onto Madison Ave.
<vent>
I'm jealous of the people who actually walked out with a phone. Two stores near me are out of stock and all they offer as compensation is a "direct fulfillment form." I'm thinking at&t does not understand the word "fulfillment," since only having a physical phone in my hand would offer such a feeling.
I've tried to call the physical stores, but their phone lines all forward to customer service, who can give me 0 info on iPhone stock at any given store. He even asked me why I waited so long (12p) to go out and try to buy the phone. I told him I have a job and have to go to that first. He laughed. So, my only real choices are do nothing or drive around aimlessly. I choose the former.
I'm not surprised by how quickly the phone is out of stock, yet I am surprised that Apple and at&t really underestimated supply and demand. They should have stocked stores up to last 2 weeks.
So, for possibly another week, I'm stuck with a nearly-headless Nokia flip phone.
</vent>
I'm jealous of the people who actually walked out with a phone. Two stores near me are out of stock and all they offer as compensation is a "direct fulfillment form." I'm thinking at&t does not understand the word "fulfillment," since only having a physical phone in my hand would offer such a feeling.
I've tried to call the physical stores, but their phone lines all forward to customer service, who can give me 0 info on iPhone stock at any given store. He even asked me why I waited so long (12p) to go out and try to buy the phone. I told him I have a job and have to go to that first. He laughed. So, my only real choices are do nothing or drive around aimlessly. I choose the former.
I'm not surprised by how quickly the phone is out of stock, yet I am surprised that Apple and at&t really underestimated supply and demand. They should have stocked stores up to last 2 weeks.
So, for possibly another week, I'm stuck with a nearly-headless Nokia flip phone.
</vent>
If you're saying that the connection problem through iTunes is a problem accessing AT&T's server, well then I don't know. All I know is iTunes says "Attempting to access iTunes store" and then craps out - if that IS AT&T's fault then Apple should really get out there and start making that clear because there's no reason for anyone caught in this right now to assume anything except that it's Apple's fault.
And even if it IS a problem with AT&T's servers, Apple should have been all over it. They were the ones pushing the marketing blitz. They should have anticipated any potential bottleneck and been all over it before today.
I'm glad to hear some people are finally getting through. I'd hate to think I was out of a phone for the weekend.
Upgraded to 2.0 successfully this morning
FWIW, I was able to successfully upgrade to 2.0. I kicked off the upgrade process at 8:30am and finished around 9:15am. That said, now when I connect my iPhone, iTunes hangs when trying to 'connect to the iTunes Store' - just like the screenshot posted by MacRumors. So, when I try to view my iPhone info in iTunes, it's just a blank page. The good news: I'm able to download from the App Store on the iPhone.
Also, when I try to navigate in the iTunes Store (when the iPhone is connected), nothing happens until I click on my iPhone in the left-pane. Upon doing so, it jumps back to the iTunes Store displaying the page I clicked on. It functions like a bug but I think it's just something whacky due to the load on the servers. *sigh*
FWIW, I was able to successfully upgrade to 2.0. I kicked off the upgrade process at 8:30am and finished around 9:15am. That said, now when I connect my iPhone, iTunes hangs when trying to 'connect to the iTunes Store' - just like the screenshot posted by MacRumors. So, when I try to view my iPhone info in iTunes, it's just a blank page. The good news: I'm able to download from the App Store on the iPhone.
Also, when I try to navigate in the iTunes Store (when the iPhone is connected), nothing happens until I click on my iPhone in the left-pane. Upon doing so, it jumps back to the iTunes Store displaying the page I clicked on. It functions like a bug but I think it's just something whacky due to the load on the servers. *sigh*
Complete BS WTF!
Everyone is trying to call tech support so much that they answer and say sorry we can't help and then hang up.
Everyone is trying to call tech support so much that they answer and say sorry we can't help and then hang up.
At the St. Paul store I was at they sold out of 16GB phones right away (had 15 on hand, and I was #16 so I got the 8GB I wanted. An AT&T manager told me their allocation was based on their iPhone sales over the past 6 months. Apparently they got less than the original iPhone launch (40 total last time).
It seems like a really backwards and stupid way to figure allocation, especially since sales would have been sluggish since everyone knew the new iPhone was coming out! Way to drop the ball, Apple and AT&T. Now my original iPhone won't connect for some reason, and my new one can't be activated. So I have two lovely bricks.
It seems like a really backwards and stupid way to figure allocation, especially since sales would have been sluggish since everyone knew the new iPhone was coming out! Way to drop the ball, Apple and AT&T. Now my original iPhone won't connect for some reason, and my new one can't be activated. So I have two lovely bricks.
as a first time iphone user, i'm both frustrated and disappointed.
i was thouroughly excited about going to the AT&T store, getting the phone and walking out being able to text my friends and surf the web!
unfortunately, AT&T sent me home and now iTunes continuously tells me that it can't connect and i get the (-4) error message.
i hope to get it working soon as I am going out of town in only a matter of hours...i need to have a cell phone, and this is my only chance.
i didn't spend $200 to have a brick.
i was thouroughly excited about going to the AT&T store, getting the phone and walking out being able to text my friends and surf the web!
unfortunately, AT&T sent me home and now iTunes continuously tells me that it can't connect and i get the (-4) error message.
i hope to get it working soon as I am going out of town in only a matter of hours...i need to have a cell phone, and this is my only chance.
i didn't spend $200 to have a brick.
Just left Birmingham's (US) Apple store. They have managed to sell 4 phones in 3 hours. Good news is they won't sell out. Bad news is only the first 10 customers made it past the AT&T authorization portion where you pay. Apparently there is a second activation portion that doesn't work for anyone, but at least if you make it past step 1 you can take your brick home and presumable active later. People here going to AT&T got past step 1, but couldn't activate w/ iTunes and AT&T sold out quickly. Apple retail may be fairing better because of the slower rate of sale.
It just works?
It just works?
Does any of you NERDS start thinking?
I know this post will unfortunately be overread, as this is a busy thread. I just wanted to state something:
<rant>
People here asking why Apple wasn't prepared for this should keep in mind, that actually they were prepared. Honestly could you people just stop Force Quitting iTunes and restart the activation process.
Come on, give them a friggin break. Blame Apple's problems at least to some part on all those sites like MacRumors. Yes, you read right, I blamed MacRumors.
Nerdy sites offered early download links to the new firmware. In fact the link to a direct download was posted here on the front page. There are millions of first gen iPhones out, and you wonder why their servers got hammered?
The AppStore just opened without any real support for it. This was also Page 1 news on numerous sites. So many people Dled Apps, though they couldn't use them. Others, brave enough to do the early software install, used them. So there goes your server bandwith. Not only do you have to distribute Software 2.0, but all of a sudden there are hundreds of thousands of downloads for friggin Apps.
And all those nerds want the software. Their DL-speed sux, so what do some stupid nerds do instead of waiting? They restart the download. So, again, another reason for the servers to get hammered.
Then comes the launch. Hey, can you people spell déja vu? It was exactly the same way with the last launch. People had to wait 'til Saturday morning to use their first gen iPhones. History repeats itself, as now there are not only the new phones, that need activating.
So all I want to say to you people is: Keep your iPhone connected to your iTunes and wait. Don't restart the process after 5 minutes, because you are messing badly with the server. Just be patient.
Just go outside for some hours. Check the gfx there, they are amazing!
</rant>
I know this post will unfortunately be overread, as this is a busy thread. I just wanted to state something:
<rant>
People here asking why Apple wasn't prepared for this should keep in mind, that actually they were prepared. Honestly could you people just stop Force Quitting iTunes and restart the activation process.
Come on, give them a friggin break. Blame Apple's problems at least to some part on all those sites like MacRumors. Yes, you read right, I blamed MacRumors.
Nerdy sites offered early download links to the new firmware. In fact the link to a direct download was posted here on the front page. There are millions of first gen iPhones out, and you wonder why their servers got hammered?
The AppStore just opened without any real support for it. This was also Page 1 news on numerous sites. So many people Dled Apps, though they couldn't use them. Others, brave enough to do the early software install, used them. So there goes your server bandwith. Not only do you have to distribute Software 2.0, but all of a sudden there are hundreds of thousands of downloads for friggin Apps.
And all those nerds want the software. Their DL-speed sux, so what do some stupid nerds do instead of waiting? They restart the download. So, again, another reason for the servers to get hammered.
Then comes the launch. Hey, can you people spell déja vu? It was exactly the same way with the last launch. People had to wait 'til Saturday morning to use their first gen iPhones. History repeats itself, as now there are not only the new phones, that need activating.
So all I want to say to you people is: Keep your iPhone connected to your iTunes and wait. Don't restart the process after 5 minutes, because you are messing badly with the server. Just be patient.
Just go outside for some hours. Check the gfx there, they are amazing!
</rant>
ATT servers are backed up and users nationwide are reporting this problem. Accept that you may not get it activated today, but there is nothing wrong. You just need to use patience while ATT gets caught up. Be thankful they let you buy it at all, rather than standing in the store all day waiting for the servers to come back up.
ATT activation servers are causing 100% of the issues.
*** Business accounts BEWARE! do not buy at Apple store
here's my experience of purchasing the white 3G iphone this morning
** Business customers with corporate discounts BEWARE!
you will not be able to purchase the iphone at an Apple store. here's my recap
http://offtopics.com/off-topics/1219-houston-galleria-store-purchasing-3g-iphone.html
sorry for linking...it's just that i'm really late to work and my boss has called me 3 times!
also i've been trying to activate the phone since 10 am central with no luck.
here's my experience of purchasing the white 3G iphone this morning
** Business customers with corporate discounts BEWARE!
you will not be able to purchase the iphone at an Apple store. here's my recap
http://offtopics.com/off-topics/1219-houston-galleria-store-purchasing-3g-iphone.html
sorry for linking...it's just that i'm really late to work and my boss has called me 3 times!
also i've been trying to activate the phone since 10 am central with no luck.
I'm not bragging, just letting you know. My 1.0 iPhone finally got activated through iTunes a little while ago. Keep trying. It took me two hours of retrying every now and then.
Note to Jobbs:
Hey Steve, next time there is a big update to the iPhone and you want to roll out a new version of the iPhone, release the fing update a week early. What did you think was going to happen Steve? You really thought you could handle all that traffic at 8am? Bwhahahaha, and they pay you how much?
Hey Steve, next time there is a big update to the iPhone and you want to roll out a new version of the iPhone, release the fing update a week early. What did you think was going to happen Steve? You really thought you could handle all that traffic at 8am? Bwhahahaha, and they pay you how much?
RIM should do some parody ads "I'm an iPhone, I'm a Blackberry" and the Blackberry guy just sits there talking to the iPhone guy trying to get a response and the iPhone guy can't hear him or respond because he's asleep and underneath him there's a little iTunes progress bar and server error message.
Marketing gold!
Marketing gold!
Of course I was impatient and installed 2.0 firmware today when it showed up in iTunes. And of course it wont activate. The wife uses the phone more than I, so she is not pleased with me.
Ah the things that we get annoyed about.
Ah the things that we get annoyed about.
That would be GREAT!
Or how about this....
INTRODUCING THE NEW APPLE noPhone!
That's what I have after trying to upgrade. It's a noPhone!
Or how about this....
INTRODUCING THE NEW APPLE noPhone!
That's what I have after trying to upgrade. It's a noPhone!
Give me a Break! Apple should NOT have released ver 2.09 for the old iPhones if their servers were not up to the load that would be placed on them.
Don't go supporting Apple just because.... I love Apple too, but this time they really "screwed the pooch".
Yes the ARE to blame.
I still find it hilarious how anxious some people are to defend Apple on this - they really must have the most loyal customer base on earth. And I'm one of them - have been for 15 years. But to say "Oh well, there's nothing they could do about such a huge demand" is ridiculous. They WANTED the demand. They intentionally CREATED the demand. They built up the hype for months. They have mountain ranges of money and are poised to make way more on this launch. There is no excuse to not have the freaking server bandwith problem taken care of.
I'm really excited about the 2.0 update, but I'm not a huge nerd. I'd be fine waiting a couple days. My problem is that my phone is bricked and I wasn't warned that could happen before I started the update. I desperately need my phone for work and if anyone had told me "Hey, don't start this update unless you're ready to live without your phone for at least a couple hours" then I would have GLADLY waited until tomorrow or the day after. You can't blame MacRumors and not Apple for that. I love them too, but you've got to admit they screwed this up.
/applause
Whether this activation fiasco is Apple's fault at all (meaning the problem is actually with Apple's servers) remains to be seen. Last year's activation problems were AT&T's fault. Everyone blamed Apple because of the iTunes activation process, but few people seemed to realize that iTunes was simply a go-between. The activation data was simply routed through iTunes over to AT&T's servers, and that's where the problem came. AT&T wasn't ready.
This time, it's anyone's guess. It's extremely believable that AT&T's servers are the culprit again, but the firmware download issues and the MobileMe problems suggest that it's Apple. That would mean pretty much a company-wide server meltdown though if they were all connected, and that doesn't seem to be the case.
I dunno. I took a look at the 5th Ave line on my lunch break and turned around. Not for lack of a willingness to wait, I just only had an hour for lunch. I'll be right back up there at 5 PM and I'll wait as long as I have to. I brought an extra book. If I can't activate when I get home, oh well. That's part of the risk you take with buying on launch day. Problems happen. If you're not willing to deal with them, wait a week.
Finally worked!!
Sat with the iTunes progress bar for about 15 minutes---never got a message from iTunes that said it was done correctly, but miraculously, the activation process worked. It even kicked me to the page that said no activations are able to be processed at this time.
A tip I overheard from the Apple Store people is that even if you do not see the activation completed in iTunes, look on your iPhone in the upper left corner. If you see "no ATT service" or something other than the little dots, then it worked. You can then eject and should receive a text message in a few seconds/minutes saying you are good to go.
One positive, once I entered my account info in the mail program, everything sync'd from the "cloud" (email, contacts, calendar, ect.) almost instantaneously.
You will still get an error message when you plug the iPhone in (i.e., cannot connect to the iTunes store at this time), but you can start loading your music and other media. Created a playlist and things copied fine.
Hope this helps.
Good luck everybody.
Sat with the iTunes progress bar for about 15 minutes---never got a message from iTunes that said it was done correctly, but miraculously, the activation process worked. It even kicked me to the page that said no activations are able to be processed at this time.
A tip I overheard from the Apple Store people is that even if you do not see the activation completed in iTunes, look on your iPhone in the upper left corner. If you see "no ATT service" or something other than the little dots, then it worked. You can then eject and should receive a text message in a few seconds/minutes saying you are good to go.
One positive, once I entered my account info in the mail program, everything sync'd from the "cloud" (email, contacts, calendar, ect.) almost instantaneously.
You will still get an error message when you plug the iPhone in (i.e., cannot connect to the iTunes store at this time), but you can start loading your music and other media. Created a playlist and things copied fine.
Hope this helps.
Good luck everybody.
WOW! I just plugged in my phone to iTunes and the 2.0 software update jumped out! I clicked it, it downloaded, it installed it... Now it can't access the store... So, looks like the updated killed my phone! I can't leave the house without it... So, looks like I'll be here until Apple gets it together!
A spokesman for AT&T Inc., the exclusive carrier for the iPhone in the U.S., said there was a global problem with Apple Inc.'s iTunes software that prevented the phones from being fully activated in-store, as had been planned.
Looks like apple is blaming att and they are blaming apple
AT&T officially stated awhile ago that business accounts couldn't be handled at the Apple store.