A customer should never DESERVE this. If you're tired of hearing about it then get off macrumors and let we people who did stand in line (and have two bricked phones to show for it) vent.
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U.S. iPhone Launch, More Photos, and Impressions
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A customer should never DESERVE this. If you're tired of hearing about it then get off macrumors and let we people who did stand in line (and have two bricked phones to show for it) vent.
I'm in the same boat as most here. I was up at 3am an got in line at the local AT&T store in Houston TX(I was about 20th in line). At about 8:45 I got in. Was told that I would activate my phone at home. I was happy that I was given the phone WITHOUT it being opened. I unboxed it and am still trying to activate it. THIS SUCKS. I understand that there are a lot of people trying to activate their phones now but come on. Apple knows exactly how many are available for sale today. They should of at least made sure they could handle the traffic of however many phones are available today. Again, THIS SUCKS.
Ugh
First the -9838 error, now I'm getting -4. I know that I'm minus a phone right now, that I was shut out of the 3G this morning (ATT store in Indy got 30 phones, no 16 gig units), that Mobile Me is still a mess, and that this is the first time I can remember Apple really, really screwing something up quite so bad. Problems, yes, I expect and understand, but doing all this at once just seems so unbelievably dumb that I didn't understand it yesterday and understand it less today.
I'm going to stop waiting and just hope that by this afternoon it's back up. If not, well ...
First the -9838 error, now I'm getting -4. I know that I'm minus a phone right now, that I was shut out of the 3G this morning (ATT store in Indy got 30 phones, no 16 gig units), that Mobile Me is still a mess, and that this is the first time I can remember Apple really, really screwing something up quite so bad. Problems, yes, I expect and understand, but doing all this at once just seems so unbelievably dumb that I didn't understand it yesterday and understand it less today.
I'm going to stop waiting and just hope that by this afternoon it's back up. If not, well ...
Exactly, who didn't see this coming? I'm want one for my gf but made the conscious decision weeks ago to not go anywhere near the Apple or AT&T stores for the first few days, once I found out about the stupid new activation procedure.
I'm in the same boat as most here. I was up at 3am an got in line at the local AT&T store in Houston TX(I was about 20th in line). At about 8:45 I got in. Was told that I would activate my phone at home. I was happy that I was given the phone WITHOUT it being opened. I unboxed it and am still trying to activate it. THIS SUCKS. I understand that there are a lot of people trying to activate their phones now but come on. Apple knows exactly how many are available for sale today. They should of at least made sure they could handle the traffic of however many phones are available today. Again, THIS SUCKS.
I guess me and the other few hundred thousand people who also purchased an iphone today are stupid?
Feel free to call me to discuss.....440-539-8605.
So after about two hours of constant clicking I finally got through and it activated in just about a minute. I actually left it at the "accessing itunes store" display (what I've been staring at all morning, apart from the errors) and walked away, then came back to find it on the "let's get started" screen. You CAN get through. Just takes a long time and a lot of patience, and a lot of luck it seems. Shame on Apple for not being ready for this.
Providence Place Store still have phones?
With the reports of stores running out, can anyone going to Providence Place Mall Store give an update on the line/amount of phones?
With the reports of stores running out, can anyone going to Providence Place Mall Store give an update on the line/amount of phones?
Finally, it worked!
After plugging and re-plugging my iPhone and seemingly hundreds of the same error message, ITS WORKING!!! It showed a text from AT&T first, before iTunes showed anything beyond the progress bar. But then everthing fell into place. Keep hope alive for those trying to activate their new phone.
After plugging and re-plugging my iPhone and seemingly hundreds of the same error message, ITS WORKING!!! It showed a text from AT&T first, before iTunes showed anything beyond the progress bar. But then everthing fell into place. Keep hope alive for those trying to activate their new phone.
I'm going to make a suggestion...
It may work for you, it may not.
Quit itunes.
Launch itunes.
Connect your phone.
Cancel the 'restore from backup' if it asks you.
Click on your phone;
at this point, you'll probably get the -9838 error.
Click on the music tab.
Click back to your phone...
It will try to connect again... it may work, it may not...
After 5 or 6 times clicking back and forth from music to my phone, it eventually connected and finished whatever it needed to finish.
Then I was able to restore and sync.
It may work for you, it may not.
Quit itunes.
Launch itunes.
Connect your phone.
Cancel the 'restore from backup' if it asks you.
Click on your phone;
at this point, you'll probably get the -9838 error.
Click on the music tab.
Click back to your phone...
It will try to connect again... it may work, it may not...
After 5 or 6 times clicking back and forth from music to my phone, it eventually connected and finished whatever it needed to finish.
Then I was able to restore and sync.
Sounds like a great idea, but I can't find a way to do this... I'd love to have a phone again... 
I'm totally screwed at the moment.
First, I was 57th in line at my local AT&T store this AM....and they were sold out at 50! WTF??!!! They offered the opportunity to wait in line and sign up for delivery on Monday... BUT I'm going overseas tomorrow morning and now won't be able to get a 3G for two freaking months! Can't believe that the store only got 50 frigging phones!!!!
NOW... I went to update my 1st Gen iPhone to 2.0 which went well UNTIL the end when I am now getting the same errors as others. My phone is stuck on EMERGENCY CALL only when sliding the button... AND I need my phone NOW for my final flight reservations, and at the same time, my company is trying to reach me on the phone from Asia, and can't! This SUCKS!!!
If they don't fix it by tomorrow morning, I will be completely without cell phone while traveling, and that is simply UNACCEPTABLE!
Apple looks like Microsoft this AM!
Pop sim out. Go to target and by a cheapo GMS phone (15 bucks). Use it until your iPhone works and complete transactions normally. No need to panic.
I'm totally screwed at the moment.
First, I was 57th in line at my local AT&T store this AM....and they were sold out at 50! WTF??!!! They offered the opportunity to wait in line and sign up for delivery on Monday... BUT I'm going overseas tomorrow morning and now won't be able to get a 3G for two freaking months! Can't believe that the store only got 50 frigging phones!!!!
NOW... I went to update my 1st Gen iPhone to 2.0 which went well UNTIL the end when I am now getting the same errors as others. My phone is stuck on EMERGENCY CALL only when sliding the button... AND I need my phone NOW for my final flight reservations, and at the same time, my company is trying to reach me on the phone from Asia, and can't! This SUCKS!!!
If they don't fix it by tomorrow morning, I will be completely without cell phone while traveling, and that is simply UNACCEPTABLE!
Apple looks like Microsoft this AM!
if you upgraded to 2.0 and your phone is stuck on activation and you absolutly need to use it, why don't you just pop out the sim card and put it in another phone? If you don't u can nab a GoPhone for less than 20 bucks.
after about an hour, i upgraded to 2.0 successfully on my old iphone. It will eventually work, just be persistent. I kept quitting itunes and reopening it. I finally got an activation message instead of an error.
If I get the new iphone, I'm definitely waiting a little bit until there are no lines and all this crap is over with.
If I get the new iphone, I'm definitely waiting a little bit until there are no lines and all this crap is over with.
I hated sounding so negative earlier this week.... you could see it coming. Even though I decided to wait a month or so before upgrading, I hope Apple would have learned. I wish you buyers day good luck.
ATT must have leveraged them a bit to activate in stores only to make sure their customer base increases.
Remember last time there were something like 15% not activated and sold overseas or rigged to use with other carriers.
Apple should have insisted: Buy and take home, activate. This in store setup was a recipe for disaster.
ATT must have leveraged them a bit to activate in stores only to make sure their customer base increases.
Remember last time there were something like 15% not activated and sold overseas or rigged to use with other carriers.
Apple should have insisted: Buy and take home, activate. This in store setup was a recipe for disaster.
I'm not entirely sure if this is the method my friend used but check out this URL:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1808
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1808
Sounds like a great idea, but I can't find a way to do this... I'd love to have a phone again...
In Japan, everything went smoothly. Typical local style:
- I was given a ticket in the morning with a specific time in the afteroon for buying the phone
- the activation took 80 min (they like to explain everything in details 3 times and Japanese love paperwork, so you have so sign numerous forms)
- they didn't open the box in the store. I was given the iPhone and a SIM card to be inserted in the phone
- back home the activation went well, it was only a matter of seconds before my iPhone was functional
- I followed the link for Mobile Me tryout and it seems to be working already even if the main page says the service will come soon.
- I was given a ticket in the morning with a specific time in the afteroon for buying the phone
- the activation took 80 min (they like to explain everything in details 3 times and Japanese love paperwork, so you have so sign numerous forms)
- they didn't open the box in the store. I was given the iPhone and a SIM card to be inserted in the phone
- back home the activation went well, it was only a matter of seconds before my iPhone was functional
- I followed the link for Mobile Me tryout and it seems to be working already even if the main page says the service will come soon.
That doesn't work when people are desperately trying to get ahold of you from OVERSEAS on a SHIP and the only number they have is you iPHONE number!