iPhone goes on sale, problems arise

I didn't wait in line for anything. I made the mistake of allowing Apple to update my current iPhone and they bricked it. I'm at an Apple store trying to get it fixed but of course they can't because their servers are overloaded. The amazing thing is their lack of honesty in not walking out and telling all these people in line that their will not leave this store with an iPhone that is activated. All they care about is grabbing the money and not telling the truth. Used to be Apple at least claimed to be better than this. I would trust Microsoft more than these guys.

I have been listening for years that Apple systems are superior and PCs suck and are prone to viruses, hackers and crashing. My response has always been that as soon as Apple becomes a dominate player you are going to see the same issues that have plagued PCs and Microsoft. I think the problems you are seeing with the IPhone are just the beginning of Apple's problems as they become a bigger player in the IT world. The problem with people is that they love the underdog until it becomes the dominate player and then they will turn on it.

I thing this is hype more than anything. It's a PHONE. Yes, it can play iTunes (meaning I can run down the non-replaceable battery faster) that can get email and browse the web (slower than other PDA phones from Verizon, etc.).

BFD. People overpay for this "image" device.

I have a Old Iphone and I updated to version 2.0
Now It will not connect to I-tunes to complete the operation.
Now I have no Phone to use, I had to call in sick so I can get the phone operational.
I use my phone all day long and now it has cost me a sick day.

Apple should have known this was going happen and should have been ready for it.

So will sit here all day trying to connect.

I went to an AT&T store, and joined a long line. An hour and a half into the line, people started coming out of the store with paper in hand, and not the AT&T bags that had previously come out. They were out of 8 gig iPhones, but no one from the store had the courtesy to come out and tell us.

I went to the Apple store after chasing after another AT&T store which was out. In the mall, I joined another long line. The orange-shirted Apple employee had no answers to questions like, "How long does the line take to go through?" and "How many 8-gig iPhones do you have still?" There is a military-like secrecy over most of the details. AT&T stores, for instance, can't necessarily tell you if a shipment is coming in tomorrow, or if you place an order today, when it is likely to come in. A bland "8 to 10 days" is all they'll quote.

I'm tired of secrecy, I'm tired of line-waiting and I'm just about burned out on the iPhone. I wasted a half-day's pay line-sitting for zip.

After telling my boss I'd be late to work, I showed up at an AT&T store this morning, and joined a 50-person line. An hour to an hour and a half in the line, people stopped coming out of the store with bags, but only with papers in hand. The store had run out of 8-gig iPhones but didn't have the courtesy to tell folks that they had run out.

After leaving there, I phoned around and thought another AT&T store had stock. I went to the other end of town, but no luck there. All the AT&T stores around here sold out 2 hours after they opened.

Next stop: the Apple store in the mall. The orange-shirted Apple employees helping folks in the long, long queue were devoid of answers. "How long does it take to get through the line? I'm trying to make it to work," was a non-starter. "How many 8-gig iPhones do you have left?" "How many point-of-sale terminals do you have?" Apparently Apple employees must have signed a blood oath not to divulge any information. One suggested that the secrecy was due to financial secrecy. I said, "Well, tonight someone from Apple will put out a press release trumpeting how many units were sold." After one sympathetic orange-shirt went into the store to give me an estimate of how long it would take for the line, he came out only to tell me that the servers were currently down, and activations were stopped. I left.

This is How Not to Sell a Consumer Electronics Device. Apple has it down perfectly. All the free Starbucks coffee in the world doesn't make up for it. Oh, and honestly, put some more point-of-sale terminals into the hands of the many orange shirted line-minders. That, and only that, will speed things up.

I went to 4 AT&T stores before lunch, they were all sold out!!!!!

I went to the Apple store, then line was around the building and folks said they were there since 8 AM and still in the line OUTSIDE the building.

No way is my time worth giving up for this phone.

I guess Apple did not figure all the details out ahead of time, I hope Apple misses it's sales goal today because they do not know how to handle big crowds.

Got online at about 6:15am at the AT&T store in El Cerrito, CA, I was #39. Line went to almost 120 by the time store opened at 8am. I got one of the last 8GB Black ones. The store only got a total of 50 phones overall. Took it home and got Network Busy messages until about 12:30pm. Up and running now, no problems. Love it!

I bought an apple phone today. Got up at 6:30 am and in line by 7:30 a.m. I did get what I wanted, but like everyone else couldn't get it activated in the store. Finally got my phone activated by going to download.com, and it allowed me to update to the iTunes 7.7 and finish setting up my phone. So, don't try going to apple.com, go to download.com and your phone should start working.

I went to an ATT store at 10:30...empty store and all phones sold our-- I was told we have 10 more in today-- buy cant sell them until tomorrow??????? What??????? HOW STUPID

So I will be going to Verizon.....screw this hype

I entered the line at the at&t corporate store in Folsom, CA at 4:12 am. I was #61 in line. By 8:00 am when the store opened there were some 800+ folk in line. Folsom is home to a large Intel facility and it appears today was "Buy an iPhone Day."

My wife joined me at 7:30. It took 2 1/2 hours to get to the front of the line, when a lady came out and said, "There are no more 16 GB phones."

I wanted 2 black 16 GB phones (for Nancy and me) and 1 white 16 GB phone (for my daughter).

I purchased one 8GB phone, one 16GB white phone (for drop-shipment in 7-10 days), and one 16GB black phone on "back order." The "black order" is interesting. I was told by the at&t sales associate that it meant at&t had "run out of its allocation across the country;" and that, there were going to be alot of angry people soon, as their supply was nearly depleted.

From my perspective Jobs should be tar-and-feathered" and made to duck-walk across the country - from his home in Palo Alto to the statue of liberty, through Death Valley in August.

This is not the first time, nor the last time I suspect, that Apple has botched product distribution.

Today, at this moment, I'm severly pissed at Apple. Nothing appears to have been done right I put a working phone into my hands. It's amazing how Jobs is able to get away with screwing "the faithful." I bought my first computer in 1979, an Apple II, from the first computer store in Cupertino, CA.

Apple's reward should be a 50 point drop in its stock price, rather than what will likely happen.

Guess this proves one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch

Appears this proves one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch.

I arrived at the local At&t store in Memphis, TN at 8:00, the line was about 25 strong at that point. I was eager for my black 8gb and was told that I was receiving the last one they had. They had 6 reps working on four kiosks. When I was able to get inside, I was told that they miscounted and all they had left were white 16gb. So I proceeded to upgrade to a bigger hd because I am impatient and color doesnt bother me. They were doing no instore activations and they told us to take them home and simply tether them and activate through iTunes. I took it home and tethered it. That was at 10:00 this morning. It finally activated at 3:30 this afternoon. At least it activated so I'm not phoneless this weekend. :)

Get a grip! What's the deal with you whiners?

People taking the day off, showing up late for work, standing in line for hours even days to get the tech the day it's out the door, then get pissed at apple because the logistics demand cannot be met!

What would you armchair CEO's do if you were Jobs? Hold off release until the 1 bazillion production mark is met?

The same was for the first iphone, the xbox, the play station.... the list goes on. You all just want to be the first kid on your block to have the newest shiny toy, that will soon plummet from "WOW, look what you have!" to "Oh, you have one of those, too"

How about trying: Waiting a week and get one in minutes.

Lastly: Isn't it amazing people refuse to wait 30 minutes to see a doctor, but wait in line hours for this?

LOL Haskin57, but very well said.

+1

Bought the iPhone at 8 a.m. at local AT&T store, walked in store and out at 8:12 a.m. with beautiful phone working puuuurfectly, happy all day.

OMG Is not enogh to say This plan REALLY STINKS! I showed up at 7:30 a.m. Pacific Time (san Diego) and it's now 2:50 p.m. and we still don't hav a phone yet. This has to be the worst Idea Apple and ATT came up with. Last time ws a better plan to just buy the phone and acctivate at home. WAY TO GO APPLE/ATT!!!

OMG Is not enough to say This plan REALLY STINKS! I showed up at 7:30 a.m. Pacific Time (San Diego) and it's now 2:50 p.m. and we still don't have a phone yet. This has to be the worst Idea Apple and ATT came up with. Last time was a better plan to just buy the phone and activate at home. WAY TO GO APPLE/ATT!!!

Two days ago, I changed carriers from Verizon to ATT because the ATT rep recommended it. That way, I wouldn't have to do that process today. So, he gave me a cheap phone that would be traded out today. He told me they wouldn't run out today, but maybe Saturday, so to come around 1:00 on Friday. I showed up at 11:00 to find out they were already sold out. That store only had 80 phones and they were gone by 10/10:30. . . Now I have a cheap phone while I wait for the next shipment to come. Guess I'll just read the reviews and hope that it's worth it. Too bad it'll come in while I'm out of town with this crummy phone. . . (Oregon City, OR)

I waited patiently with about 400 others at Milennia Mall in Orlando.......my wait was 7 hours outside and 1 hour inside to get the phone, not fully activated, but at least signed over with my number. I then had to take it home before I could link up to iTunes. We all had a good time, laughing and joking during the wait and at one stage I actually went across to BJ's Restaurant and got a large pizza for those around me. Love the phone but really really tired right now!

I'm amazed at the people who wait in line and moan and groan about this kind of stuff. Yes I get the 'fever' for new tech and better things, but I always manage to wait for the calm after the storm. I guess i'm lucky when it comes to all this Iphone stuff, we dont have AT and T or Apple stores anywhere in my state so people have to go out of state to get one, and I dont know of anyone who really cares enough to drive 5 hours to do so. Its just a phone.

I arrived at a small corporate ATT store at 7:00, was provided bottled water by the store folks while in line, and got my phone by 8:30; I was 16th in line. I had a horrible time downloading iTunes 7.7 (wish they had told us to download it in advance) and had to wait to get access to iTunes to set up the phone but was fully on board by noon. So far I love the phone and the initial hassle was not all that bad.

Wouldn't touch one with a ten foot pole!

Here we go with another device to distract drivers from paying attention to what they were supposed to be doing -- driving. It started with people having cell phones permanently glued to their ears; then they obtained the means to text messages, tying up a hand (or both hands) that should be on the steering wheel; now we have a device that allows them to do both at the same time! I guess we've become a nation of "gadgeteers" and "I just have to have the newest thing available" people. I have my cell phone, using it through the car audio system, my navigator, built into the car, and my radio for music. I'll stick with that and let others "stimulate the economy" by buying the latest gadget!