iPhone 13 UK iPhone 13/13 mini/13 Pro/13 Pro Max Pre-release, Orders and Dispatch Thread

[palemonkey]

Just looking back at my posts I joined MR in 2007 and I think the first preorder thread was in 2012? I migrated over from AV forums. I have done some crazy things in my time for iPhones. The two that stand out the most are

1. Buying the first iPhone from a random store in Times Square in NY - At the time ATT had exclusivity on the original iPhone and there was no unlocked or payg options. You had to get them jailbroken if you wanted to use any sim and every ios update locked the phone back to its original sim. It would be months before The 02 got the iPhone in the UK

2. Travelled all the way to Belgium via Eurostar on release day to buy the iPhone 3GS - Belgium and Italy both have laws that mandate Phones to be unlocked at the time of sale. Went to about 8 different shops. I wanted black 32GB and ended up with White 16GB

It wouldn't be till the iPhone 4 release before I would officially be able to buy an unlocked iPhone in the UK. I remember queuing outside Regent street for 5 hours (and that was with a preorder reservation) loved it

Anyone else got any whacky iPhone stories?

Great stories!

my first iPhone I was cycling home from work and saw a small queue outside the O2 store (I think it went on sale at 6pm) and thought I would check it out - hooked ever since!

worst iPhone experience was trying to buy iPhone 4 (I think) at Basingstoke Apple store.. people kept pushing in.. people who had brought their whole family just so they could buy 2 each.

 

[Dino F]

I have done some crazy things in my time for iPhones.

Anyone else got any whacky iPhone stories?

.....my craziest experience was with the iPhone 4 launch.

I was a member of the O2 Forums back then and they had a thread similar to this one. I struck up a conversation with some random dude on there who said he was picking his iPhone up from a store in Kingston (I was also going there).

We arranged to meet up so I picked him up in my car on route to Kingston and off we went...!!!!

Good job he turned out to be a normal guy and not an axe murderer or something...!!!!!!

 

[CD3660]

Just looking back at my posts I joined MR in 2007 and I think the first preorder thread was in 2012?…

There was an iPhone 4 thread in 2010. I suspect that it wasn’t the 1st. There was massive interest in the new design. It was indeed a real classic.

The U.K. iPhone 4 Thread

O.K. We've got the iPad launch successfully out of the way and thousands of us are very happily enjoying the stunning multi-functional gadget that it is but it is time now, for those of us who enjoy the thrill of the chase, to focus on the imminent launch of the new iPhone. Due to be...

forums.macrumors.com

 

[KrisLord]

Last year I got my order in at 1:03pm, which was fantastic. You're correct the process has improved a lot. Do we know why they changed it to 1pm?

The original 8am UK time was midnight in California which is reasonable, but 3am on the east coast.

They moved it by 5 hours which makes it a bit less terrible for the US markets.

 

[hirsthirst]

starting to feel a little more interested in 13 now the event is announced, though a bit reluctant to give them any more money right now as fed up with my 12 Pro battery health dropping to 88% - ho hum

 

[RSG]

So I'm on the IUP and my last payment is on the 25th (a day after the suspected release)

Does anyone know if there is an option to pre-order but paying the last month off early?

 

[AT777]

Hello all,

I currently have the X 64GB which I purchased a few weeks after release, outright from John Lewis. It has served me superbly, still runs amazingly well (did need a battery a replacement) and I would probably continue with if it were not the significant increases in camera quality prompting me to want to want to upgrade.

(This really is an achievement as I love tech, I'm happy to spend money on tech, purchased the M1 MacBook Pro and S6 Apple Watch last year but the X gave me no itch to want to change at all during the 4 years of ownership, until now...).

I have a question for you seasoned iPhone purchasers.

I'm currently on a SIM only o2 contract. For the 13 Pro I will be signing up to an EE Phone Contract as I can get a 20% discount through a work scheme. As this is a pre-order, do I order on the 13 Pro on the EE website on release day but then start the number porting process from o2 once I have it in my possession? As I'm concerned if I start the number porting process too soon and the phone delivery is delayed, I could end up with my number being in no mans land?

I hope that makes sense.

 

[palemonkey]

Hello all,

I currently have the X 64GB which I purchased a few weeks after release, outright from John Lewis. It has served me superbly, still runs amazingly well (did need a battery a replacement) and I would probably continue with if it were not the significant increases in camera quality prompting me to want to want to upgrade.

(This really is an achievement as I love tech, I'm happy to spend money on tech, purchased the M1 MacBook Pro and S6 Apple Watch last year but the X gave me no itch to want to change at all during the 4 years of ownership, until now...).

I have a question for you seasoned iPhone purchasers.

I'm currently on a SIM only o2 contract. For the 13 Pro I will be signing up to an EE Phone Contract as I can get a 20% discount through a work scheme. As this is a pre-order, do I order on the 13 Pro on the EE website on release day but then start the number porting process from o2 once I have it in my possession? As I'm concerned if I start the number porting process too soon and the phone delivery is delayed, I could end up with my number being in no mans land?

I hope that makes sense.

Yeah that makes sense. Wait until you have the new phone in hand and then port your number over.

 

[Jinjin]

Hello all,

I currently have the X 64GB which I purchased a few weeks after release, outright from John Lewis. It has served me superbly, still runs amazingly well (did need a battery a replacement) and I would probably continue with if it were not the significant increases in camera quality prompting me to want to want to upgrade.

(This really is an achievement as I love tech, I'm happy to spend money on tech, purchased the M1 MacBook Pro and S6 Apple Watch last year but the X gave me no itch to want to change at all during the 4 years of ownership, until now...).

I have a question for you seasoned iPhone purchasers.

I'm currently on a SIM only o2 contract. For the 13 Pro I will be signing up to an EE Phone Contract as I can get a 20% discount through a work scheme. As this is a pre-order, do I order on the 13 Pro on the EE website on release day but then start the number porting process from o2 once I have it in my possession? As I'm concerned if I start the number porting process too soon and the phone delivery is delayed, I could end up with my number being in no mans land?

I hope that makes sense.

If you’re buying a contract phone it’s unlikely they’ll give you a sim or activate your account until your phone has been dispatched.

They can’t expect you to have a contract start without you having a phone to use!

Can’t also see how they’d port your number until your line is active.

I’m also guessing you will keep your o2 sim active until your new iPhone arrives. So start the Porting process then.

 

[Jinjin]

So I'm on the IUP and my last payment is on the 25th (a day after the suspected release)

Does anyone know if there is an option to pre-order but paying the last month off early?

Pretty sure you will be able to. You could also make the payment now I’d assume in advance of the order?

 

[RSG]

Pretty sure you will be able to. You could also make the payment now I’d assume in advance of the order?

Doesn't let me without choosing another phone atm!

 

[nwlondonlad]

Quick tip for anyone planning on doing esim to esim swap with ee. Once you have activated the esim on the new phone remember to do a reboot. I waited over 40 mins waiting for the number to port over 🤦‍♂️

 

[D1G1TALR0B0T]

Just looking back at my posts I joined MR in 2007 and I think the first preorder thread was in 2012? I migrated over from AV forums. I have done some crazy things in my time for iPhones. The two that stand out the most are

1. Buying the first iPhone from a random store in Times Square in NY - At the time ATT had exclusivity on the original iPhone and there was no unlocked or payg options. You had to get them jailbroken if you wanted to use any sim and every ios update locked the phone back to its original sim. It would be months before The 02 got the iPhone in the UK

2. Travelled all the way to Belgium via Eurostar on release day to buy the iPhone 3GS - Belgium and Italy both have laws that mandate Phones to be unlocked at the time of sale. Went to about 8 different shops. I wanted black 32GB and ended up with White 16GB

It wouldn't be till the iPhone 4 release before I would officially be able to buy an unlocked iPhone in the UK. I remember queuing outside Regent street for 5 hours (and that was with a preorder reservation) loved it

Anyone else got any whacky iPhone stories?

My crazy story was for the iPhone 5, I was working in the US at the time and I was flying back to the UK to see family and for a few work meetings. I had a red eye flight to Dublin then a two hour drive to Belfast for a meeting, after that another hour drive to see family. Then back to Belfast at 10pm to queue for the phone outside the Victoria Square store as it was going on sale the next monring at 8am. Then when I got the phone I did the hour drive back to see family, talk about being exhausted. I do miss the fun of queueing at the store, back then I would often see some of the same people each year and it was good to catch up. A Starbucks near the Apple Store also used to bring us free coffee.

 

[D1G1TALR0B0T]

Quick tip for anyone planning on doing esim to esim swap with ee. Once you have activated the esim on the new phone remember to do a reboot. I waited over 40 mins waiting for the number to port over 🤦‍♂️

I've avoided eSIMs in case they take a long time to port over, is this process usually quick? Do EE also really charge 50p each time you move eSIM to another device?

 

[Supersonicc]

Enjoying the stories! I only joined Mac Rumors back in 2016 but not really a 'newbie', always into tech but missed the whole social media scene + never felt the need to post on forums etc.
Actually I predict I'm likely older than a lot of folk on here, old but not obsolete! 😂

Jinjin's thread here is great for us crazies to come back to base each year to banter about the new iPhone 👍

Back in December 2005 I bought a rare smartphone called a Motorola A1200i which was a Motorola import directly from Hong Kong. It was part of the Motorola 'Ming' range in Asia at the time.
Absolutely cracking / futuristic phone for that time with full touch-screen capability and cool stylus.
The Moto designers took a leaf from the Star Trek communicator!

Spec-wise the Ming had a Linux-based operating system, 850mAh battery (), 2.4 inch 240x320 pixel, 262K colour touchscreen display, mini-USB and bluetooth connectivity with a 2MP camera for both video recording and a macro mode for fine shooting! Absolutely loved the thing, still got it today with all HK features!

Anyway, I remember all friends & family at the time saying a phone without physical numbers / buttons would never ever work globally with the mainstream.

Roll on two years to November 09th 2007 and Steve Jobs launches the first Apple iPhone in the UK! The rest is history!

One more thing...
I was so excited for the 1st generation original Apple iPhone I’d saved up extra cash then queued overnight for over 24 hours & bought 3 1st gens from the Apple flagship store in London's Regent Street. One for me & my girlfriend and one extra as a ‘spare’! I'll always miss that initial fun & anticipation of queuing for an iPhone!

Well that spare still remains Apple factory shrink wrapped and sealed in the original box, never opened since.
That will always be the holy grail for me, to be handed down for future generations to come!

 

[bigwordbird]

Just looking back at my posts I joined MR in 2007 and I think the first preorder thread was in 2012? I migrated over from AV forums. I have done some crazy things in my time for iPhones. The two that stand out the most are

1. Buying the first iPhone from a random store in Times Square in NY - At the time ATT had exclusivity on the original iPhone and there was no unlocked or payg options. You had to get them jailbroken if you wanted to use any sim and every ios update locked the phone back to its original sim. It would be months before The 02 got the iPhone in the UK

2. Travelled all the way to Belgium via Eurostar on release day to buy the iPhone 3GS - Belgium and Italy both have laws that mandate Phones to be unlocked at the time of sale. Went to about 8 different shops. I wanted black 32GB and ended up with White 16GB

It wouldn't be till the iPhone 4 release before I would officially be able to buy an unlocked iPhone in the UK. I remember queuing outside Regent street for 5 hours (and that was with a preorder reservation) loved it

Anyone else got any whacky iPhone stories?

My best buying story was for the very first iPhone in 2007. I’d watched the Steve Jobs keynote in January and like everyone else had to wait until November to get one in the UK (I think it was 10th December?).

I was a student in Newcastle and knew all the Apple and O2 stores would be busy so called up a Carphone Warehouse in Gosforth a few days before to check stock and they said they were expecting 15-20 handsets.

Because it was exclusively on O2 originally, they officially went on sale at 6:02pm in the UK. I arrived to join the queue at 2:00pm and there was nobody. I stood for 4 hours on my own until someone joined me at 5:55pm. The doors opened and I said “8GB please, no insurance” as they were pushing ‘mandatory insurance’ heavily at the time. It was scanned, bagged and paid in about 20 seconds.

I reckon I must have been one of (if not) the first person to own an iPhone in the UK.

Any like most of you, hooked and upgraded ever since.

The End.

 

[Jinjin]

Great reading all of these stories and how long a number of us have been doing this!

I’ll admit my first iPhone was the 4 and not even at launch. I had the very first google nexus one (made by HTC) but left it on the roof of my car as I got the kid into his seat.. then drove off!

Couldn’t stomach buying another phone outright so went on contract for the 4 and then moved to buying direct every year since!

 

[mrandyyu]

A couple of my memorable stories:

iPhone OG
Spent an hour or so queuing up outside the Bullring Apple Store, where there were probably no more than 50 or so of us. I was 7th in the queue. First time I ever witnessed the whooping, high fiving etc in person. Bought the 8GB phone with the official bluetooth headset and expanded charging dock.

iPhone 3G
Next to me in the queue was a guy who had purposely travelled up early from London as he figured he'd have less competition in Birmingham versus trying to pick a unit up in the Big Smoke. He was right - there were only 10 of us in the queue at the O2 store and we were 3rd and 4th.

iPhone 4
This was probably the craziest launch I'd ever been part of. Got to the Bullring Apple Store at 5am and was 12th or so in the queue. The guy at the top of the queue had camped out over night from 10pm. There was a huge buzz for the new design and everybody in my sector of the queue was in good spirits as we were confident we'd get the storage capacity we wanted. The store brought out free Krispy Kreme donuts for us and the nearby Starbucks were taking orders from us.

iPhone XS Max
Very understated launch as by then, Apple had long been encouraging people to order online for home delivery. Joined the queue to collect my phone as I had taken the morning off. Spent some time with two guys who were there for the Series 4 watch, hoping for store stock as they'd missed out online. They were trying to convince me to get a watch and I tried to convince them to get the phones! The younger of the two was a college student whose dad had simply given him a credit card to get the watch for himself - I asked if his dad would adopt me LOL.

iPhone 11 Pro Max
Bumped into the younger of the two guys from the XS Max launch, who was there to get a 11 Pro phone this time. We immediately recognised each other and caught up on what Apple gear we'd acquired in the 12 months between launches. Once again, his dad had given him a credit card to pick up a new phone for himself. Before parting ways, we said to each other "see you next year for 5G" - COVID obviously put an end to that.

 

[WRXiceman]

My first iPhone was the iPhone 4. Think I was 18 or 19 at the time and bought it on contract with Vodafone, and remember thinking it was the best thing since sliced bread! Was so advanced compared to any other phone I’d ever had.
Have upgraded every year since.

 

[Bazooka-joe]

A couple of my memorable stories:

iPhone OG
Spent an hour or so queuing up outside the Bullring Apple Store, where there were probably no more than 50 or so of us. I was 7th in the queue. First time I ever witnessed the whooping, high fiving etc in person. Bought the 8GB phone with the official bluetooth headset and expanded charging dock.

iPhone 3G
Next to me in the queue was a guy who had purposely travelled up early from London as he figured he'd have less competition in Birmingham versus trying to pick a unit up in the Big Smoke. He was right - there were only 10 of us in the queue at the O2 store and we were 3rd and 4th.

iPhone 4
This was probably the craziest launch I'd ever been part of. Got to the Bullring Apple Store at 5am and was 12th or so in the queue. The guy at the top of the queue had camped out over night from 10pm. There was a huge buzz for the new design and everybody in my sector of the queue was in good spirits as we were confident we'd get the storage capacity we wanted. The store brought out free Krispy Kreme donuts for us and the nearby Starbucks were taking orders from us.

iPhone XS Max
Very understated launch as by then, Apple had long been encouraging people to order online for home delivery. Joined the queue to collect my phone as I had taken the morning off. Spent some time with two guys who were there for the Series 4 watch, hoping for store stock as they'd missed out online. They were trying to convince me to get a watch and I tried to convince them to get the phones! The younger of the two was a college student whose dad had simply given him a credit card to get the watch for himself - I asked if his dad would adopt me LOL.

iPhone 11 Pro Max
Bumped into the younger of the two guys from the XS Max launch, who was there to get a 11 Pro phone this time. We immediately recognised each other and caught up on what Apple gear we'd acquired in the 12 months between launches. Once again, his dad had given him a credit card to pick up a new phone for himself. Before parting ways, we said to each other "see you next year for 5G" - COVID obviously put an end to that.

Yeah I used to enjoy participating in the queues for the new phone. i used to go to Southgate store in Bath. We had long queues but nothing like the madness at Bristol and London and Birmingham etc and we had a great community spirit.
The Apple store staff were very good at dealing with the queue jumpers and scalpers where one guy would queue up during the middle of the night and then half an hour before the store opened, his family and buddies would all turn up laden with hundreds of pounds to buy multiple units and they would try to jump the queue to join him.
It was always a nice moment when the Apple staff would take orders for doughnuts and Starbucks from us around seven in the morning.
Those were fun days and I know it’s easier to get a phone these days but the experience just isn’t quite the same

 

[D1G1TALR0B0T]

For the first iPhone I thought I had it on launch day, but it must have been a couple of days later. I think it was mailed to me from O2 as checking my email I have an activation email for the iPhone service on 13-Nov-2007.

 

[johnyslats]

Didn‘t get on board until iPhone 4 (10 months post launch for the white version). Was in NYC December 2007 and went to Apple Fifth Avenue (my first retail store experience) and there was so much buzz around iPhones. The iPod touch had been out a couple of months and after playing around with it in store I had to have one. Think I had a Nokia 6500 slide at the time. So I had a number of variations of the touch before going full iPhone in 2011 and have upgraded ever since. Was a bit of a forum lurker back then so it was several years before I started joining in on the threads 😂

 

[mrandyyu]

Those were fun days and I know it’s easier to get a phone these days but the experience just isn’t quite the same

Agree with you there! Definitely easier now than it's ever been to get the model, capacity and colour of choice as long as you're in there on pre-ordering.

Less sense of achievement unlike the old days!

 

[Isaacd93]

I spoken to them, for me my upgrade date is the 1st Jan 2022. If you want to upgrade before the year then it's £100. I asked what the fee was if I didn't send my 12 Pro Max back, which is £550. Locked in £740 from MM. So I'll be up about £90. Once I pay the £550 plus the £100 for early upgrade.

Just got off the phone with EE executive complaints, they said they have no plans yet but they are going to call me back after the apple event to discuss more. I got my 12 pro max on the launch in November so I’m confident they will remove the £100 fee. I’ll keep everyone updated

 

[nwlondonlad]

I've avoided eSIMs in case they take a long time to port over, is this process usually quick? Do EE also really charge 50p each time you move eSIM to another device?

Ive done it 3 times now. First was in store, 2nd was via post for the 12 pro max launch and 3rd was digital via the website/app yesterday when I went back to my XS max. The process is straight forward and the 50p is charged to your next bill so will have to see if they actually charge this.

You can do the purchase on your old phone. Once you log into your new phone just sign into the app and you should have the option to download the esim to the device. As I mentioned previously it took 40 mins before I realised I needed to do a reboot for the sim to activate but it’s not mentioned anywhere. Only found out after I went on chat. They also said it could take btw 4 - 24 hrs.